
Class SV45Q1 
Book -S 4^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSE 



The 
Palm Tree Blessing 

A discourse on the various characteristics of the palm 

tree, illustrating the many features of the 

sanctified, Christian life. 

Evangelist W^Ef Shepard 

Author of 

"Wrested Scriptures Made Plain," 
Etc. 



Publishing House of the 

Pentecostal Chukch of the Nazabene 

kansas city, missouri 

1913 






Copyright, 1913 
Publishing House of the 
Pentecostal Church of the Nazabene 



MAY-2 1914 



/tf* 



©CI.A374009 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER ONE 
The Palm Tree Is Noted for Its Beauty 7 

CHAPTER TWO 
The Palm Tree Is Noted for Its Straightness 11 

CHAPTER THREE 
The Palm Tree Is Noted for Its Perrenial Freshness— 14 

x CHAPTER FOUR 

The Palm Tree Is Noted for Its Fruitfulness 19 

CHAPTER FIVE 
The Palm Tree Is Noted for Sweetness of Its Fruit 26 

CHAPTER SIX 
The Palm Tree Bears Fruit in Its Old Age 34 

CHAPTER SEVEN 
The Palm Tree Is Noted for Its Utility 41 

CHAPTER EIGHT 
The Palm Tree Is Appreciated 56 

CHAPTER NINE 
The Palm Tree Will Grow in the Desert 66 

CHAPTER TEN 
The Palm Tree Finds the Water 71 

CHAPTER ELEVEN 
The Palm Tree Gets Others Started 76 



CHAPTER TWELVE 
The Palm Teee Mounts Heavenwabd 81 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN 
The Palm Tree Is Peculiar in Its Growth 86 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN 
The Palm Tree Has a Rough, Coarse Exterior, But It 

Is Soft at the Heart 89 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN 
The Life of the Palm Tree Is at the Center 96 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN 
The Palm Branch Is the Symbol of Victory 113 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 
The Palm Tree Will Not Admit of Grafting 128 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 
The Palm Tree Is Adapted to Warm Climates 142 

CHAPTER NINETEEN 
Palm Tree Peculiarities 146 

a. The Explosive Flower. 

b. The Living Sacrifice. 

c. The Foreign Missionary. 

d. Differences in Size and Form. 



Introduction 

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." — Psalm 92 : 12. 

Wherever the Holy Spirit in the inspired Word has 
made any statement concerning anything, whether in 
regard to flowers, fruit, agriculture, horticulture, stock 
raising, minerals, earth, sea, sky, stars, science, religion, 
or what not, rest assured that statement is absolutely 
correct. There may be some statements which are hard 
to understand at first, but which may become perfectly 
clear when proper light is thrown upon them. 

The Word of God abounds in comparisons. It says 
the wicked are "like the troubled sea," the backslider 
like the dog "turned to his own vomit again; and the 
sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." 
In the first Psalm it says the ungodly "are like the chaff 
which the wind driveth away," but on the other hand 
the godly are "like a tree planted by the rivers of 
water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his 
leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth 
shall prosper." 

Wherever God has compared the godly or the un- 
ungodly with anything, He certainly understood the 
case and made no mistake. 

If one is not sure of his spiritual standing, it might 
be well to select something to which God has likened 
him, and then note the difference. 



Among the most beautiful comparisons in the Word 
is this: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm 
tree." fa 9 % \ ) ^ 

The object of this little book is to show some of the 
characteristics of the palm tree blessing. Let the reader 
not forget to keep before his mind the thought of 
measuring up, and in that way be able to determine 
whether he belongs to the class mentioned. Please 
do not think of neighbor So-and-so, but keep your 
thought on your own personal experience. 



The Palm Tree Blessing 



CHAPTEE I 

THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS 
BEAUTY 

It is certainly one of the most beautiful trees in 
nature. That is why so many are used in decorating 
the premises. People do not plant scrub oaks in their 
gardens, but they plant nature's beauties. 

In the palm tree realm we have a large variety, of 
different sizes, such as date, fan, and cocoanut, and in 
them all it seems that God laid Himself out to make 
something charming to behold. 

When He compared the saint with the palm tree, 
it signified that there is something in him that is beau- 
tiful. One may be counted homely, or disfigured by 
some mark of nature or accident ; but in spite of all he 
can have God's beauty shining out from his face and 
life. It matters not how he may be marked with some 
naturally undesirable feature, in spite of all, the palm 
tree saint has the effulgence of the upper-world glory, 
which overtops it all, and there shines forth real, 

heavenly beauty. So there is hope for all. 

7 



8 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

That beautiful daughter of king David, and sister 
to Absalom, who was the finest looking man of his day, 
was called Tamar, which is the Hebrew word for 
palm. Doubtless she was called Tamar on account of 
her beauty. Absalom named his daughter Tamar for 
this same reason : "And unto Absalom there were born 
three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar : 
she was a woman of a fair countenance." 

Moses was so close to God and heaven during those 
days on the mount, that his face literally shone. And 
just in proportion as people today get close to the 
upper world, will God cover them with His celestial 
cosmetics. This far surpasses the paint and powder 
and Circassian cream of a frivolous and fashion-loving 
world. If people only knew it, the more of these — and 
of dead birds, rag posies, and glittering gewgaws — 
they put on, the more unbecoming they appear, and the 
more any natural beauty they chance to have is covered 
up. Whenever a woman besmears her face with paint 
and powder, hoping to cover up what she may think 
to be unseemly, she might as well carry a placard 
bearing this inscription: 

To whom it may concern: This is to certify that 
I am homely, and am trying to cover up the fact by the 
use of paint and powder, thus hoping to deceive the 
public. SIGNED— O. C. PRIDE. 

"The King's daughter is all glorious within." And 
because of this it works out, and so, with God's glory 
upon one, surely there is no need of the world's adorn- 
ments to supplement God's handiwork. "The ornament 



NOTED FOB ITS BEAUTY 9 

of a meek and quiet spirit" is the adorning which all 
should seek, and all may obtain. 

The climax of trinket wearing is to be found in 
the heathen world. There they deck themselves lit- 
erally from head to heel. They puncture ears, lips, and 
nose to find more room for their jewelry. God's ar- 
raignment of His people in the third chapter of Isaiah 
for patterning after the heathen customs is appalling, 
and we wonder that the translators of the Bible had the 
ingenuity to ferret out all the different kinds of trum- 
pery in that dead language and find their proper 
expression in English. When the writer was a boy 
going to a country school, he was told by the teacher 
that barbarians wore jewelry, and in proportion as 
people did the same today they were barbarian. We 
once stepped into a restaurant in the city of Omaha, 
and noticed a woman seated at one of the tables. The 
sight of her hand eclipsed anything we had ever seen. 
There were rings galore. We do not remember the 
number on her fingers, but she had so many, it looked 
as if she had not room enough on her fingers, so she 
actually had one on her thumb. Doubtless she thought 
this added to her beauty. We once saw a fortune teller 
with large rings in her ears, three chains around her 
neck, seven rings on her fingers and eight bracelets on 
the wrists. 

How different is all this from the beauty which the 
Holy Spirit gives! We have seen the faces of some 
saints that verily shone with the brightness of the in- 
dwelling Christ within. Sometimes in deathbed scenes 



10 THE PALM TBEE BLESSING 

God has lifted the curtain just enough to let a little 
of heaven's halo fall across the features, and how it 
lighted up the face and made it radiant with a glory 
which at once was known to be unearthly. God surely 
knows how to beautify His people. . 



CHAPTEE II 

THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS 
STRAIGHTNESS 

There is something in the very nature of this re- 
markable production, that scarcely allows of any de- 
parture from the perpendicular. The palm tree will 
grow straight. One seldom sees a crooked one. We 
remember seeing one, but it was dead. 

Now, if we have the palm tree blessing, we are 
spiritually straight. God's people are straight. They 
are straight in their homes, in the church, in their 
business, with the world, with each other and with 
God. In their business deals they will not stoop to any 
underhanded trickery either on a big scale or little. 
They will even swear to their own hurt and change 
not. They will put themselves out to hunt up the con- 
ductor in order to pay their nickle fare before they 
leave the car. They never leave the counter w T ith a 
surplus of change if they know it. They are careful 
about not using many words in buying and selling. 
They never cover up the defects and make prominent 
the good points in their deals. They endeavor to ob- 
serve the Golden Rule, doing unto others as they would 
have others do to them. They will surely overcome 
any stingy element in their make-up, if previously 
possessed with such a factor. They will not lavish 

ll 



12 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

their home and let God's cause languish. Their earthly 
store belongs to God, and they recognize His right to 
draw upon them whenever He chooses. 

One of the greatest stumbling blocks to the world 
today is the crookedness of so many so-called saints. 
The world knows when we walk straight. They may 
call one an old fogy, brand him as a fanatic, say he 
has gone crazy over religion, but at the same time they 
will say, "He pays his grocery bills." And perchance 
a sinner is dying and wants prayer, he will send for 
the very one he called fanatical and crazy. Do you 
think, dear reader, that you would be the one he would 
call upon for prayer ? 

The story is told of a man who was felling a tree, 
and was buried beneath the branches as it fell. On be- 
ing extricated he was found to be mortally injured. 
A physician was summoned, and saw at once that the 
poor man must soon die. Being interested in his 
spiritual welfare, he told the man plainly that he could 
not live, and advised him to make his preparation to 
meet God, suggesting at the same time that he send for 
a certain neighbor who was a deacon in the church. 
Upon the mention of this deacon's name, the dying 
man recoiled, and said, "I hate him. He has lived 
alongside of me for years and has never said a word 
to me about my soul." 

It is said that the palm tree has such a natural ten- 
dency to grow straight, that it will not grow crooked 
though heavy burdens be placed upon it. It will push 
up in spite of all the load, and simply remain straight. 



NOTED FOE ITS STRAIGHTNESS 13 

How like God's true saint ! Satan has many burdens 
with which to break his back, or cause him to deviate 
from the straight course, but with this blessing, he is 
enabled to rise in spite of all and be a perfectly perpen- 
dicular pilgrim. Praise the Lord! Business bur- 
dens, domestic duties, religious responsibilities would 
crowd in and hold us down, or shift our course upward, 
but He who carries our cares, and bears our burdens 
will bring us up straight if we but look constantly to 
Him. 



CHAPTEE III 

IT IS NOTED FOR ITS PERENNIAL 
FRESHNESS 

The palm tree is an evergreen. It always has a 
fresh, green crown on top, on the heavenly side. Some 
parts may wither; some leaves fade and fall in time, 
but up at the top is a never-fading, fresh, beautiful 
crown that basks in the open sunlight and is a beauty to 
behold. Now, pilgrim, press up alongside of this char- 
acteristic and see if you have the mark. 

The palm tree blessing is always a fresh blessing. 
Those who are so fortunate as to have this experience 
have a freshness about them that makes others desire 
it. There is nothing stale nor dry in their testimonies 
or prayers. With this beautiful characteristic, one 
does not say over the same old testimony, repeat the 
same stereotyped prayer at family worship, nor ask 
the same blessing at the table over and over. You 
might note the next time you say grace at the table, 
and then ask yourself if you have the palm tree bless- 
ing. 

How refreshing some people's testimonies always 
are ! We are sure to get something new. Even if it is 
old, it is set forth in a new garb, and people enjoy it 
and get blessed. They have a perennial freshness in 
their lives, and a storehouse from which to draw, so 

14 



NOTED FOB ITS PERENNIAL FRESHNESS 15 

that they are always enabled to bless a congregation 
whenever they are present. 

There are some saints that are always in demand in 
meetings, because they are so juicy and blessed. There 
is such a crown of rejoicing toward heaven in it all, 
that the meeting is sure to rise in interest and power 
whenever they take part. 

Have you ever noticed a meeting that began to rise 
with each succeeding testimony? One speaks and the 
spiritual thermometer goes up a little, then another in 
the Spirit talks out his heart, and up goes the temper- 
ature another degree or so, and thus it rises till it 
reaches a good, warm level, when suddenly some one 
arises and instantly down goes the thermometer. The 
meeting has cooled off several degrees. What was 
the matter? Will you kindly notice the next time you 
testify, and see if the thermometer goes up or down? 
Then ask yourself about this blessing, providing you 
cooled the meeting off. 

What is the reason, when some people talk or pray, 
the saints seem to be so glad? They take it for granted 
that they are going to get something helpful and inter- 
esting, and that the meeting will get a boost. On the 
other hand, why is it when certain others take part, 
there is a sort of inward sigh, "uttered or unexpressed," 
and a settling down to endure the ordeal till he gets 
through? We will let the reader answer. O, to be 
fresh, and free, and full of the Spirit all the time ! 

The Word declares that "where the Spirit of the 
Lord is, there is liberty." The liberty of the Spirit 



16 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

always makes a meeting fresh and helpful. One of the 
prevailing hindrances in the Christian life is quench- 
ing the Spirit. The command is, "Quench not the 
Spirit," and we have no right to disobey that injunc- 
tion any more than any other. We have seen people 
pray through at the altar and get wonderfully blessed 
and have much of the freedom of the Spirit, and after 
a few days when the Spirit desired again to manifest 
Himself through them, they have shrunk back through 
timidity, quenched the Spirit and leaked out in their 
experience. Does God make provision for any one to 
have any less liberty and freedom of Spirit later on in 
his Christian life? I trow not. Look to it then that 
you do not frustrate the grace of God in your hearts. 
If you were ever turned loose in a meeting, or, under 
the blessing of God you ran off with the meeting, see 
to it that you lose not your liberty, for the Lord may 
call upon you some other time to swing loose and take 
things by storm. 

The story is told of Amanda Smith, the colored 
evangelist, who felt one time that she should lift her 
hand in the service and say "Glory to God." At first 
she wondered if that was best under the circumstances, 
but felt the prompting was of the Lord, so she lifted 
her hand and shouted it out. Immediately the blessing 
of God was precipitated upon the congregation and a 
wonderful time of freedom was the result. We knew 
a brother who said he felt impressed once to do a 
similar thing, but he allowed something to hold him 
back, and so grieved the Spirit, and he declared it 



NOTED FOE ITS PERENNIAL FRESHNESS 17 

took him two weeks to pray back to God. It pays to 
obey God. He will surely put His Spirit upon those 
whom He can trust. He will give all the liberty we 
will use. We never need to pray for freedom in the 
meetings, for all we have to do is to help ourselves. 
Imagine a child coming home hungry, and asking his 
mother for some bread and butter. His mother says 
"There is the pantry, child, help yourself." The child 
teases further for bread and butter. Once more the 
kind parent informs him that the cupboard is handy, 
and he may help himself. But the child continues to 
beg. What attitude would that parent finally take? 
It would probably result in a good spanking. Imagine 
a child of God continually teasing the Lord for liberty, 
when He is constantly saying, "Help yourself." The 
freedom will surely be on hand when we step out and 
do our part. 

The amusing story is told of Frederick Douglass 
who rose from slavery to quite a place in history. 
While in bondage in the South, he was wont to pray 
the Lord to give him his freedom. But he said the 
Lord did not answer his prayer. Again and again he 
prayed, but the Lord did not answer his petition. 
"One night," said he, "I went out and set 
my eyes on the North Star, and scratched gra- 
vel behind, and then the Lord answered my 
prayer." No wonder the paper he afterwards edit- 
ed was called the "North Star" If more people today 
who are in bondage to fear, and are longing at the 
same time for deliverance, would do as this man of 



18 THE PALM TEEE BLESSING 

color did — set their spiritual eyes on the pole star 
of freedom, and scratch gravel — they would soon find 
their prayers for liberty answered. 



CHAPTEE IV 
IT IS NOTED FOR ITS FRUITFULNESS 

In the Orient, where the date palm thrives the best, 
it is astonishing the quantity of delicious fruit it bears. 
It affords one of the chief industries, and is one of the 
principal articles of food. 

Seeing the inspired Word declares that the right- 
eous flourish like the palm tree, it stands to reason that 
the righteous bear an abundance of spiritual fruit. 
Fruit-bearing is the chief characteristic of the saint. 
"But now being made free from sin, and become ser- 
vants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the 
end everlasting life" (Rom. 6:23). A non-fruit-bear- 
ing holiness is a nonentity. 

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he 
taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he 
purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 
15:2). In other words, every Christian who ceases 
to bear fruit, becomes a backslider and is cut off; 
while every one that bears fruit, keeps connected with 
the True Vine, and gets cleansed, or sanctified. This 
statement atimply meanjs, tjhen, thjat one must get 
cleansed, or lose what grace he has. These are solemn 
truths, and each one should look well to his fruit bear- 
ing, and continue in the same. 

19 



20 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

"Now the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- 
suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temper- 
ance; against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22,23). 
All palm tree saints are in the fruit business. There 
is no law, says the text, against such a business. There 
is no law written in the Bible, or upon our hearts that 
opposes it. There is no law of nature that runs counter 
to it. The law of the land does not forbid one having 
love, joy, peace, or any of the other varieties. Even 
formal ecclesiastical law does not oppose one having 
love, joy, peace, or the others mentioned; but sometimes 
it raises a hue and cry, and brings forth a storm of 
persecution when the outward manifestations of this 
fruit intrude into their graveyard quietness, and thus 
disturb their death. 

God gave the Israelites specific instructions what 
to do when they gained the Promised Land. He told 
them when they entered Canaan they were to take of 
the fruit of the land and put it into a basket and go to 
the proper place and say to the priest, "I profess this 
day unto the Lord thy God, that I am -come unto the 
country which the Lord sware unto our fathers for to 
give us" (Deut. 26:3). The spiritual application is 
this: When one arrives at Canaan today, he should 
immediately have a fine basket of the fruit of the 
land, and go to the church and tell preacher and people, 
that in the providence and mercy of God, he has re- 
ceived a clean heart full of pure love, or in other words, 
he has been sanctified wholly. But he must have his 
basket of fruit. Alas ! too many are testifying these 



NOTED FOE ITS FRTJITFULNES3 21 

days to being "saved and sanctified and sweetly kept," 
and when one looks for the basket of fruit, there is 
"nothing but leaves," or perchance some peelings, stems 
and shells. 

Abraham Lincoln once said, "You may fool some 
of the people all the time, and all the people some of 
the time ; but you can't fool oil the people all the time." 
The palm tree saint does not fool any of the people 
any of the time. He simply has his basket of fruit 
with him, and if one is inclined to doubt his testimony, 
all he has to do is to look into his basket and behold the 
grapes, figs, and pomegranates of Canaan. This is what 
tells so on others who have not as yet arrived at the sta- 
tion. When they see such delicious displays from the 
land of Beulah, their mouths begin to water, and there 
is an inward longing for some of the same kind. But 
what a stigma upon the religion of Jesus Christ, when 
one lays claim to Canaan experience, and has nothing 
to show for it but an empty basket ! 

When the spies returned from their Canaan ex- 
ploration they brought of the fruit to Moses and said, 
"We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and 
surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the 
fruit of it" (Num. 13:27). They carried the unmis- 
takable proof with them. Let us see to it that our 
testimonies are accompanied with their proper proof. 

There is altogether too much failure in Christian 
service, because of the excuse of lacking in talent. It 
is true that some have more talent than others, but does 
that excuse those of one talent? The terrible punish- 



22 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

ment inflicted upon the one who nicely wrapped his one 
talent in the napkin and laid it away, ought to alarm 
any who may be tempted to do likewise. Those who 
are favored with more talents are held more responsible 
to God for the use of them. It seems that God is not 
especially hunting for brains to use in His service, as 
He is looking for clean channels. If He can get the 
man of ten talents all consecrated to Him, very well 
and good; He will certainly use him to His own glory; 
but He is also ready to work with and through the 
simple-minded as well. And frequently we find Him 
doing more through such a channel than where there is 
ten times the talent. We copy the story of what God 
did through a half -idiot boy as printed in the Herald 
of Holiness: 

"One time," said Dr. Broughton, "I remember be- 
ginning a meeting in an old, conservative church in 
one of the most conservative towns of the South. A 
large crowd had gathered to hear my first sermon. It 
was not much of a sermon, however, that they heard, 
but a good deal of proposition making. 

"To begin with, I asked for all fathers who had 
unsaved sons to stand up. Nobody stood, however, 
except a little boy about twelve years old, who sat far 
back in the congregation. He arose. He was not satis- 
fied to stand, he got up on the seat and lifted his hands. 
He was determined to be seen. Everybody laughed at 
the mistake, and I said, * Young man, that will do; sit 
down.' My next proposition was to mothers, but not 
a mother stood. The same little boy stood up, how- 



NOTED FOB ITS FRUITFULNESS 23 

ever. 'That will do,' said I; 'sit down.' Then I went 
for the brothers and sisters. I made five propositions 
that night, and he responded to every one of them, and 
he was the only one that paid any attention to them 
whatever. I went away from that meeting very much 
humiliated. The same was true of the services on the 
next night and on through the services of three days. 
To every proposition I made, he responded, and he was 
the only one who did. Finally, a deacon of the church 
came to me and said: 'That boy is a half idiot. The 
fact is, he is a whole idiot, and those people are coming 
to see him perform. That is what they are coming 
for.' 

" 'Well,' said I, 'what do you think I ought to do 
about it?' 

" 'Why,' said he, 'stop him, of course.' 

"I said, 'Stop him? Never ! He is the only sign of 
life I have seen in this town. I feel like paying him 
to go around with me to worry old conservative dea- 
cons. Talk about that boy ! Why, he is the only spark 
of hope the church has in this town so far as I have 
been able to see. I would not think of putting that 
light out.' 

" 'Well,' said the deacon, 'he has thrown a damper 
on your meetings.' 

"I said, 'No, brother, you can not throw a damper 
on an icehouse, and this old thing has been frozen over 
for twenty years.' 

" 'All right, said he, 'let the boy go on.' 

"So it went on for the rest of the week. Now and 



24 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

then some othet simple soul would stand for prayer, 
but very seldom. 

"At the close of the sermon the next Sunday morn- 
ing, when I gave out the invitation for those who 
wished to join the church to come forward, that boy 
walked up to the front. I asked the usual questions 
and took the vote and he was received. 

"That night as I came into the church a man arose 
and said : 'Brother Broughton, I want to ask a prayer 
for a man who is in this house, one of the honored 
citizens of our town and a man of eighty-five years of 
age, who has not been in a church for twenty-five years 
until tonight. He has been known as a skeptic, but I 
see him here tonight, and I think he will pardon me 
for making this request. I feel so deeply the weight of 
his soul.' 

"As soon as he sat down the old man arose and said : 
'Friends and neighbors, I am the man you are about to 
pray for. I want to tell you why I am here tonight. 
This little boy who sits here by my side is my grand- 
son. You know that he is an unfortunate lad. It is 
because of that we have loved him so. This morning 
he came home and threw his arms around my neck and 
said, "O, grandpa, I have got religion, and have joined 
the church. And grandpa, I am so happy that I don't 
know what to do. I wish grandma was here. O, 
grandpa, you know she went to heaven three months 
ago and I have nobody to talk to about Jesus." The old 
man said, 'Just as the child said that, something struck 
my heart that had not struck it before since I was a 



NOTED FOR ITS FBX71TFULNESS 25 

boy and left home to go to college. You can call it 
what you please, but if you can, by your prayers, bring 
the grace of God into my heart, I will be thankful.' 
Before we left that night he was converted. 

"The next morning the little fellow went out in the 
town and climbed over his father's bar counter, for he 
was a bar keeper, and said, 'Papa, won't you come and 
go with me to hear our preacher?' He promised he 
would that night, which he did, and at two o'clock the 
father was converted. 

"The next day he went out, declaring he was going 
to be a missionary to his fellow saloon keepers. He 
got them, every one of them, to close up their places 
and come to church. There were seven in number, and 
during that week six out of the seven gave their hearts 
to God, and all of them agreed to close up their busi- 
ness. A great revival broke out in that town which 
extended all through the county, and several counties, 
and in six months' time there was not a barroom in that 
county. Every barkeeper agreed to quit the business, 
and so far as I know, there has never been one in the 
county until this day. 

"Such a gracious revival of religion! How did it 
all come about ? Not by preaching ; not by great man- 
ipulations; not by great singing, valuable as these all 
may be — they did not bring it about. It came about 
through a little half idiot boy, who had not better sense 
than to trust God the best he knew and do his level 
best." 



CHAPTEK V 

IT IS NOTED FOR THE SWEETNESS OF 
ITS FRUIT 

All palms are not of the same variety, but the date 
palm is the one specially noted for its sweet fruit. 
When the Orientals dry their dates and press them 
and ship them into our country, we then learn how 
nearly akin to sugar they are. 

The righteous shall flourish in sweetness. Full 
salvation surely sweetens one's life and disposition. A 
sour holiness is a sham holiness. Some professors of 
religion look and act as if they were pickled instead of 
preserved. 

When God described the beauties and benefits of 
Beulah Land, He told the people it was a land of hon- 
ey. Honey was one of the leading commodities of Cana- 
an. One of the prime factors of the palm tree blessing 
is spiritual honey. It is certainly a sweet experience, 
both in its inward enjoyment and outward manifesta- 
tion. In the various tests of life one will find the inward 
proclivities making way to the surface, and out of the 
abundance of the heart the mouth will speak. Sister, 
do you find yourself saying, "Praise the Lord," when 
the clothes line breaks, or the bread burns? What 
comes to the surface when your children tug at your 

apron by the hour in their f retf ulness ? How is it when 

26 



NOTED FOB THE SWEETNESS OF ITS FEUIT 27 

your neighbor's chickens clean up your radish and tur- 
nip patch ? or husband scolds, or the older children are 
disobedient and saucy ? It is true one may be tried in 
these disappointing ordeals, and have the smile of hea- 
ven at the same time, but is there an overcoming sweet- 
ness in it all that convinces others that you have the 
palm tree blessing? 

Perhaps husband is smiling, as wife reads these 
lines ; but how do you feel when the horse balks, or the 
cow kicks the milk all over you? What do you say 
when hammering, and you hit the wrong nail? How 
is your equilibrium at the midnight hour in zero weath- 
er when wife hunches you under the fifth rib and 
notifies you that baby has the colic and requests you 
to get up and make a fire? Do you smile and say, 
"Certainly, dear," or do you growl and let her do it? 
Think of the palm tree blessing the next time. 

A minister once asked his colored servant why he 
didn't get along better, while she always seemed so 
happy. She replied that it was because he read his 
Bible wrong. He could not understand that, for he 
certainly knew how to read the Bible. She finally told 
him, where the Bible said "Glory in tribulation," he 
read it, "Growl in tribulation." 

The grace of gentleness and sweetness under trying 
circumstances is so scarce in this world, that it is indeed 
refreshing when we come in contact with it. It is said 
of the mother of John and Charles Wesley, that one 
of the children once asked some privilege and was de- 
nied with a "no." The child was persistent and asked 



28 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

again, and the answer was again, "no." For some rea- 
son the interrogation was repeated time and again, and 
the patient mother responded "no" twenty times, and 
the last time in the same tone of voice as the first. We 
might question the propriety of allowing a child to be 
so persistent, but we could not question the propriety 
of suffering long, with kindness on the further end of 
it. We have been struck before now at the agitation 
and seeming impatience of some leading holiness 
preachers when some disturbance was made in the 
meeting; when a child cried, some one went out, or 
some unusual noise or commotion occurred. Almost 
anybody can keep sweet when everything goes their 
way, but the time to prove that a part of one's stock 
in trade is honey, is when the trying ordeals of life 
press in, and people are looking on to see if he has what 
he has been shouting over in the meeting. 

There is a clause in the Bible that reads thus : "The 
God of all grace." I do not know how much our God 
has, but it says in another place, "He giveth more 
grace." We believe that in every exigency of life, the 
grace of our God is sufficient. If a policeman on the 
street of some large city met with some opposition as 
he was endeavoring to do his duty, he would have the 
privilege, if unable to cope with the opposition alone, 
to call upon another officer. If these two were unable 
to overcome, they could have the whole police force 
of the city at their disposal. If this power was not 
sufficient they could have the state militia, and per- 
chance this should fail, the whole government is back 



NOTED FOE THE SWEETNESS OF ITS FRUIT 29 

of him, and would -call out the regular army. That 
police officer has the whole government ready to back 
him up in doing his duty. So it is with the faithful 
child of God. When he is suffered to pass through 
some trying ordeal, and the present stock of grace is 
not sufficient, "He giveth more grace," and the "God 
of all grace" is at his disposal, and "God is able to make 
all grace abound toward" him, and He would call out 
the whole stock of grace of heaven before He would 
allow that faithful soul to fail who relied upon Him. 

These testing trials are what make solid Christian 
character. What would the giant oak on the mountain 
side amount to, if it were not for the storms that 
surge against it ? These storms cause the roots to take 
stronger hold, and thus they grapple with earth and 
rock and become practically immovable. When the 
storms of trial and persecution sweep up against the 
pure in heart, they cause them to cleave the more to 
their Protector and send the roots of faith and love 
deeper into the Rock beneath. 

What does the Word mean when it says, "That the 
trial of your faith, being much more precious than of 
gold that perisheth"? Does it not mean that these 
testings of faith are worth much more than gold nug- 
gets which one might find in the street? Then why 
do we not act that way? Imagine one walking along 
the road and stumbling against a big chunk of fine 
gold, and then looking down at the mouth and com- 
plaining at his misfortune. No, if such a one had been 
discouraged just before, we think this sudden find would 



30 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

dispel all his sorrow. How would it do for us to act 
as if we had found a nugget of gold, the next time some 
great trial crosses our path? Would it be inconsist- 
ent to shout "Glory to God! I have something that 
is worth more to me than gold tried in the fire"? 
"Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations," 
for "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." 
Suppose one should come into a meeting and testify 
that he had more trials than anybody in the world. 
We have heard testimonies that tend in that direction. 
Usually the witness looks as if it were about true. But 
what does God's Word say about it ? "My grace is suf- 
ficient for thee." We believe that all true pilgrims, as 
they journey through life, have at times all they can 
stand of trials and testings. And yet, "there hath 
no temptation taken you but such as is common to man : 
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be 
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the 
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be 
able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10: 13). Now, in the light of 
these Scriptures, we see, that in proportion to one's 
trials, temptations, and testings, God puts alongside 
the sufficient grace to bear them. If one has more 
trial than another, and holds true to God, it only 
shows that he has more grace than another. Now, why 
doesn't the brother in the meeting who testifies that 
he has more trials than anybody else, look up and 
shout himself hoarse at the abundant grace the Lord 
has for him? Let us not be infidels, but actually be- 



NOTED FOE THE SWEETNESS OF ITS FRUIT 31 

lieve the Word of God, and act as if we believed it. 
Amen! 

If the devil can get us to grunt and growl when he 
kicks us, it encourages him to kick the more. Notice 
those pestiferous boys at school. See them poking 
fun at that crying lad who declares he is going to tell 
his mother. The more he cries the more encouraged 
they feel to impose upon him. Now watch them as 
they ply their game on some independent chap. He 
just laughs at them and says, "I don't care." Their 
fun is spoiled and one of them says, "Come on, boys, 
we can't have any fun out of him." Why not try this 
method on the devil ? Instead of crying and complain- 
ing, and pitying yourself, just shout, "Glory to God!" 
when he kicks you. He may try it again, but shout 
"Hallelujah !" right in his face. Methinks he will say, 
"I don't understand that Christian; the more I kick 
him, the more he praises the Lord and shouts." 

The explanation of Psa. 40 : 11 by that sunny, 
happy-hearted Christian known as Aunt Sophia may 
not be far out of the way. "Let thy loving kindness 
and thy truth continually preserve me." Aunt Sophia 
said, "Dat just like de deah Lawd. He puts His 
trusting children right in de big saucepan of His luB, 
and He sweetens dem wid de sweetness of His grace, so 
dey nebber get sour. And when you see one who is 
cross and fretful and gloomy, bress you, honies, dey's 
not preserved; dey's only pickled!" 

There is nothing in the Scriptures that would in- 
dicate that any part of the Christian life was made 



32 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

up of sour material. "Vinegar never catches flies," 
and a sour, long-faced professor of religion is certainly 
a poor sample of Christ's handiwork. When the sweet- 
ness of the palm tree blessing enters the soul, the long 
face in the direction of north and south, shortens up, 
and lengthens out east and west. A preacher once en- 
tered a grocery store, and casting his eyes about, he 
discovered some packages on a shelf, with the follow- 
ing label on them: "Warranted to keep sweet in all 
climates." The company sending out the goods, evi- 
dently had much faith in their enduring qualities. 
They surely knew that the contents might be subjected 
to heat and cold, wet and dry, high and low altitudes, 
at home and abroad. Yet they were ready to put on 
the goods, "Warranted to keep sweet in all climates." 
Surely, when our Preserver has put the finishing 
touches on His goods, He has included an element of 
grace which warrants them to keep sweet in all cli- 
mates. It does not seem hard for some to keep sweet 
when all goes their way; when nothing crosses their 
path ; when all is fair sailing ; but let the nagging, dis- 
appointing, galling trials incident to this life press in 
upon the soul, and the look, tone and talk are changed. 
The preserves have been changed to pickles. Such 
a one could not well influence another by his life and 
example to become a follower of the meek and lowly 
Jesus. 

We may not always be aware of it, but surely others 
are watching us. Can we say with Paul, "Brethren, 
be followers together of me, and mark them which 



NOTED FOR THE SWEETNESS OF ITS FRUIT 33 

walk, so as ye have us for an ensample"? (Phil. 3 :17). 
Again, "Those things which ye have both learned, and 
received, and heard and seen in me, do: and the God 
of peace shall be with you" (Phil. 4:9). 



CHAPTEE VI 

THE PALM TREE BEARS FRUIT IN 
OLD AGE 

It is a very long-lived tree. At the age of about 
thirty it seems to have reached its height in fruitful- 
ness, but will continue its prolific yield for seventy 
years more under proper conditions, so that at the 
century mark it is still flourishing. It is said that it 
bears its very sweetest fruit in its old age. 

In the realm of grace God has not planned for 
spiritual declension in old age. The free grace of God 
is just as willingly bestowed then as in decades before. 
The next verses which follow the statement: "The 
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree," bring out 
this glorious truth. "Those that be planted in the 
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our 
God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age ; they 
shall be fat and flourishing" (Psa. 92: 13, 14). 

Do we not often see old people, after they have pos- 
sibly professed holiness for many years, in their de- 
clining days, take on a fretful, cross, murmuring spirit, 
and make it hard to get along with them? Instead 
of the little children delighting to be around them, if 
they should express themselves, they would say, "What 
is the matter with grandpa; he is getting so crabbed 

and cross?" One of the saddest and also one of the 

34 



BEARS FRUIT IN OLD AGE 35 

most dangerous icalamities that can befall an old 
Christian, is to lose the sweetness and juice and fruit- 
fulness of early piety. 

"The trees of the Lord are full of sap." This sap 
life is characteristic of the palm tree, and he who lacks 
the sweet juice of fresh life bubbling up in his heart 
should enquire into his experience. 

One of the most encouraging and soul-inspiring 
examples to young converts is the victorious faith and 
activities of the aged saints. How it blesses our souls 
when we stand in the presence of such an octogenarian. 
The fire still burning within, he is ready to pray, shout 
or testify at a moment's notice. There are many of 
God's old palm trees, though they may have the word 
"superannuated" attached somewhere, yet they are 
ever active in bringing forth fruit. Like the old horse 
that was superannuated from the fire department, and 
was used in a delivery wagon, when he heard the fire 
bell ring, he champed his bits and struck off down 
the road and never stopped till he had backed up to the 
fire. Live meetings and revival fires set some of these 
old war horses going, and one would think they were 
surely renewing their youth. They love the way and 
will not rust out with advancing years. 

Look at the unceasing and untiring activities of 
John Wesley, much of it after he had crossed the line 
of four score years. The following information con- 
cerning him is current in religious papers: 



36 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 



"HOW JOHN WESLEY WORKED 



"His travels were immense, amounting to about 
290,000 miles, or about twelve times the circumference 
of the globe, making about 5,000 miles a year. 

"He preached before the days of steam or electric- 
ity, twenty sermons a week, and often more. Most of 
these sermons were preached in the open air, and often 
amid showers of brickbats, rotton eggs, and personal 
violence calculated to test the strongest nerve. A 
Baptist preacher recently celebrated the fiftieth anni- 
versary of his pastorate. It was announced as an un- 
usual fact that he had preached an average of three 
sermons a week during the fifty years. But John Wes- 
ley preached on an average, for fifty-four years, three 
sermons a day. The Baptist clergyman had preached 
during the time a little over 8,000 sermons. Mr. Wes- 
ley preached, in fifty-four years, more than 44,000 ser- 
mons. This did not include numberless addresses and 
exhortations on a great variety of occasions. 

"For many years he was editor of the 'Armenian 
Magazine, 5 a periodical of fifty-six pages — the work of 
one man in these times. 

"He wrote and published a commentary on the 
whole Bible in four large volumes. 

"He compiled and published a dictionary of the 
English language — no small undertaking. 

"He wrote and published a work of four volumes 
on natural philosophy. 

"He wrote and published a work of four volumes 
on ecclesiastical history. 



BEAES FRUIT IN OLD AGE 37 

"He wrote and published comprehensive histories 
of England and Rome. 

"He wrote grammars of the Hebrew, Latin, Greek, 
French, and English languages. 

"He wrote, abridged, revised, and published a li- 
brary of fifty volumes known as the "Christian Li- 
brary, 5 and some time after he re-read, revised, cor- 
rected, and published the whole in thirty large volumes. 
This library contains one of the richest collections 
found in the English language. 

"He wrote a good-sized work on electricity. 

"He prepared and published for the common peo- 
ple three works on medicine. 

"He published six volumes of church music. His 
poetical works, in connection with his brother Charles, 
amounted to not less than forty volumes. Charles 
wrote most of them, but they passed under the keen 
revision of John, without which we doubt if Charles 
Wesley's hymns would have been what they are — the 
most beautiful and soul-inspiring to be found in the 
English language. 

"In addition to these multiplied publications, we 
have seven large volumes, including sermons, journals, 
letters and controversial papers known as 'Wesley's 
Works.' It is claimed that Mr. Wesley's works, in- 
cluding abridgements and translations, amounted to at 
least two hundred volumes. It is difficult to under- 
stand how a man could have found time to accomplish 
so much literary labor while perpetually on the wing. 

"In addition to all this, Wesley was a pastor and 



38 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

did more real pastoral work than nine-tenths of the 
pastors of these times. One has only to read his jour- 
nals to be convinced of this. For a time he visited all 
the class and band meetings, and had special charge of 
the select societies. He appointed all the class and 
band leaders, stationed all the preachers, and had a 
general oversight of the many thousands of his fol- 
lowers. 

"He improved every moment of the day. Mr. 
Fletcher, who was for some time his traveling compan- 
ion, says of him, 'His diligence is matchless. Though 
oppressed with the weight of seventy years, and the 
care of 30,000 souls, he shamed still, by his unabating 
zeal and immense labors, all the young ministers of 
England, perhaps, of Christendom. He has frequently 
blown the gospel trumpet and rode twenty miles be- 
fore most of the professors who despise his labors have 
left their downy pillows. As he begins the day, the 
week, so he concludes them, still intent upon extensive 
service for the glory of the Redeemer and the good of 
souls. 

" 'From four o'clock in the morning until ten at 
night every moment was occupied in loving efforts to 
save the lost ; and he never lost ten minutes from wake- 
fulness at night, as he himself affirmed. His motto 
was, "Always in haste, but never in a hurry." "Leisure 
and I have taken leave of each other." "Ten thou- 
sand cares are no more to me than ten thousand hairs 
on my head." "I am never weary with writing, preach- 
ing or traveling," are a few of the utterances of this 



BEAES FRUIT IN OLD AGE 39 

remarkable man. And in the midst of all this won- 
derful activity he says, "I enjoy more hours of private 
retirement than any man in England." ' " 

No wonder he could shout on his dying bed with 
the heavenlv halo around his head and sav, "The best 
of all is, God is with us." 

Look at that apostle of faith, George Muller, after 
he had prayed in millions of dollars, cared for thou- 
sands of orphans, preached in many lands and sent 
missionaries throughout the world, still active for God 
between eighty and ninety years of age. 

Thomas Mayhew was one of those early missionaries 
to the North American Indians. When on his way to 
the old country to seek further aid for his work, he 
was lost at sea. His old father, then past his seventieth 
year, regarded this sad bereavement as God's call for 
him to fill the place made vacant by the death of his 
son. He immediately began to study the Indian lan- 
guage, and went forth to carry on the mission of his 
son, which he did until his death at the age of ninety- 
three. In his travels, the old man would often have to 
walk twenty miles through the woods to preach to the 
Indians. Surely, this was better than idle sorrow. It 
was bringing forth fruit in old age. He had the palm 
tree vitality and blessing. 

I am thinking just now of an aged minister. For 
over half a century he has served God in the regular 
ministry, and now although over six years past the 
"allotted time" of life, he is untiring in his work and 
zeal for God. He is up to date in all the departments 



40 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

of the work. He is superintendent of the home de- 
partment of the Sunday school, and does work like a 
pastor in his regular visitations. He enters open doors 
and preaches many sermons. He is a most zealous ad- 
vocate of prohibition, and stands in the forefront ranks 
in pushing that important Avork, and is president of 
the prohibition work in his community. His zeal for 
the foreign missionary field is most inspiring, and bj^ 
faith, with all the other blessings of giving that he 
takes upon himself, he has just taken a native mis- 
sionary to support from his limited means. While he 
is so active on all the live issues of the church, and is 
at his post to push and pull, yet he is seemingly most 
at home in the battle for souls. You can count on him 
at the revival unless he is providentially hindered. And 
when the seekers line up at the altar, he is at hand to 
pray and shout the battle on. He has the word "super- 
annuated" applied somewhere, but we think it a mis- 
nomer and that a more appropriate word would be 
"superabundant." 



CHAPTEE VII 

THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS 
UTILITY 

The uses to which the different palm tree varieties 
are put are something marvelous in the extreme. There 
is nothing like it in all the vegetable world. All parts 
are utilized, from the trunk and branches to the sap. 
From the branches they make cages for poultry, and 
fences for gardens. From the leaves they manufacture 
couches, baskets, bags, and mats. From the fibre they 
make thread, ropes, and rigging. From the sap is 
manufactured a drink, while seeds are ground up for 
provender for camels. 

The following will show some of the many uses of 
the various kinds of palms: Fuel, clothing, building 
material, tents, cages, crates, fences, thatching, bridges, 
masts, boats, oars, canes, umbrellas, umbrella sticks, 
couches, baskets, bags, matting, mattresses, hammocks, 
pillows, cushions, carpets, sail cloth, oakum, paste- 
board, kites, thread, fishlines, bowstrings, ropes, rig- 
ging, tables, stands, chairs, bedsteads, cradles, window 
blinds, brooms, brushes, utensils, cooking vessels, weap- 
ons, shields, tools, hooks, spear tips, arrow heads, 
needles, fans, ornaments, hats, bonnets, musical instru- 
ments, paper, writing paper, candles, wax, resin, tan- 
nin, dyeing materials, medicines, tonics, refreshing 

41 



42 THE PALM TEEE BLESSING 

drinks, vinegar, sugar, starch, meal, bread, sago, syrup 
for cooking, substitute for salt, oil for butter, oil for 
light and lubrication, and for making soap. And the 
carnal ingenuity of depraved man has even discovered 
how he can get drunk on the fermented juices. Besides 
all these a substance is used in tanning leather. The 
shell of the stems is used for making gutters, timber for 
flooring and wharf material, stems for blowpipes 
for poisonous arrows. One kind of palm is used in 
the construction of rude suspension bridges. Another 
affords a substitute for ivory. One part is used for 
fattening hogs. It is said that the various uses are 
declared to be three hundred sixty. Thus we see 
that it could be of some use about every day in the 
year. Eeader, are you flourishing like this, and good 
for something every day in the year? 

God certainly intends us to be useful. It means 
something to fill one's sphere in the world as Christ 
intended. There is something more to do than to plow 
corn, milk cows, and feed hogs; something more than 
to keep house, wash clothes and scrub floors. There 
is more at hand than the mere avocations of life, neces- 
sary as some of them are. God never called anybody 
to labor alone for the perishable things of this life. 
"A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things 
which he possesseth." The real business of every 
Christian is primarily to serve God, and glorify Him; 
the other services are merely incidental. The old shoe- 
maker had it right. When asked what his business 



NOTED FOR ITS UTILITY 43 

was, he replied: "My business is to serve the Lord; 
but I make boots and shoes to pay expenses." 

Even those who are shut in doors through feeble 
health may find avenues for usefulness, and do service 
that will tell for eternity. In Pasadena, Cal., is a blind 
girl, and almost entirely deaf, yet she applies herself 
to the Lord's work, and makes articles for sale, devot- 
ing the proceeds to the foreign missionary work. 

A remarkable story has been published in the 
Ladies* Home Journal of March 1, 1911, showing what 
a girl can do without hands and arms. Through the 
kindness of The Curtis Publishing Company, we are 
permitted to insert the article in this book. It was 
written by the young lady herself. 

"I was not born a cripple. Even as a child I did 
not always have to make hands of my feet. Indeed, 
till I was nine years old, I not only had arms and hands 
like other children, but I was also a strong, healthy, 
normal child like my two brothers, who were older than 
I, and my sister, who was two years younger. Our 
family was in poor and humble circumstances as far 
back as I can remember. My parents were both Eng- 
lish, but my father became naturalized as a citizen of 
this country in 1882 — the year in which I was born. 

Since I grew up I have learned that my father 
and mother were in good circumstances at the time of 
their marriage, and for some ten or twelve years after- 
wards; that my father was a steady, hard-working, 
kindly man ; and that he and my mother were devoted 
to one another and were very happy together. But 



44 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

after the birth of my brothers my mother was taken 
ill and was in poor health for a long time. Then, just 
as she was at the worst of her illness, my father lost 
his position, and matters speedily began to go from 
bad to worse. A tendency to strong drink, which he 
had kept well curbed for my mother's sake, now began 
to get the better of him. Her failing health made it 
impossible for her to look out for him as she had 
hitherto done. The new work which he succeeded in 
obtaining was hard and distasteful, and the family 
grew poorer and poorer until at last there were times 
when we had not enough of food and clothing, and the 
charitable societies of Chicago, where we lived, began 
to look after us. 

"In the summer just before my ninth birthday, I 
was one of a number of children who were sent into 
the country for a two-week's outing by the managers 
of a fresh air fund. Those were the two pleasantest 
weeks of my life. The beautiful, green country, the 
grass, flowers, trees, and birds delighted me. I was 
well and robust, and I ran and picked flowers and 
played and enjoyed myself to the utmost. A few weeks 
after I came home from this wonderful outing my 
mother died, and I became the housekeeper of the 
family. I was then just nine years old. I did the 
work as well as I could, although there was not much 
to do nor much to do it with, in the bare place which 
we called "home," in the basement of a small city 
dwelling. Soon after I had lost my mother's compan- 
ionship I lost my sister's also, for she was adopted 



NOTED FOB ITS UTILITY 45 

by well-to-do people, whose identity I did not know 
and have never learned. 

"On the afternoon of the following Thanksgiving 
Day, while my brothers were playing outdoors and my 
father and I were alone in the house, I was puttering 
about when I found a bottle filled with what I after- 
ward knew must have been whiskey. Being only a 
child, and possessed of a child's thoughtless curiosity, 
I took a long drink from the bottle. The effect was 
almost instantaneous. I grew weak and stupefied. At 
that moment my father, who was in an adjoining room, 
told me to go and put some wood on the kitchen range. 
I said that I felt sick and could not go, but he in- 
sisted and I obeyed. No sooner had I got the lids off 
the range, however, than the combined effect of the 
liquor and the heat overpowered me, and I fell forward 
upon the open fire, unconscious. 

"My younger brother, who came in from play and 
lifted me off, saved me from death. But at the hos- 
pital it was found necessary to amputate both my arms. 
The burns about my neck and chest were severe, but 
not serious, and two months later I was discharged 
from the hospital. A state society for the care of 
children had already arranged with my father to take 
full control of me. A fund contributed to by generous 
people far and near was raised for my support and 
education, and after spending some months in a nur- 
sery I became an inmate of the Home for Destitute 
Crippled Children in Chicago. 

"In this home I was given instruction in the com- 



46 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

mon school studies, and I learned to write and sew 
with my feet. After four years I was transferred by 
the Illinois Home Society to the care of a private fam- 
ily in Wisconsin, where I lived for eight years, going 
to the public school and practically completing the 
High School course. During all this time I continued 
to learn how to make hands of my feet, and I have 
kept on perfecting myself in this necessary acquire- 
ment ever since. It has, of course, taken a great deal 
of perseverance and determination, and has required 
constant effort and practice, coupled with no little 
physical skill and suppleness. But it must be borne in 
mind that for nearly twenty years I have been without 
hands and arms, and that during most of this time 
I have had to wait on myself. So my feet have been 
in almost continual training. I have never found a 
task too hard to undertake nor too tedious to finish, 
and no one appreciates the truth of the old saying, 
'Where there's a will, there's a way,' better than I do. 
"As a result, I have learned to dress myself almost 
completely. I can take a bath by myself, wash my 
face, brush my teeth, put on most of my clothes, and 
comb my hair when it is not too long. I can put on 
and take off my eyeglasses. I can use the scissors to cut 
paper, cloth, or any other material with which I am 
working, and then thread the needle, knot the thread 
and do the necessary sewing. I can sweep and dust, 
mop and scrub, and even blacken stoves. I can sketch 
and draw, although I have never had a lesson in these 
accomplishments and have acquired the little knowl- 



NOTED FOR ITS UTILITY 47 

edge and skill I possess in this art solely by practice. 
In the same way I have also learned to sharpen my 
own pencils, opening and closing the knife myself. I 
have even made articles of furniture, such as small 
bookcases and writing desks, sawing all the lumber, 
driving the nails, putting on the hinges, and finally 
varnishing the completed article. In short, I do with 
my feet almost anything that others do with their 
hands. 

"At the close of my high school course I found my- 
self, at the age of twenty-one, left practically on my 
own resources. The fund which had been raised for 
me was exhausted, the obligation of the state society 
which had taken charge of me had ceased, my father 
had passed away, my brothers were poor and could not 
help me, and my sister had gone out of my life. For 
a while I earned a little money by selling my draw- 
ings, name-cards and other work. Then I gave ex- 
hibitions, in homes and elsewhere, of my skill with my 
feet. Eventually I found it possible to attend Taylor 
University at Upland, Indiana, and while there the 
hope I had long cherished of some day being able to 
be of some help to poor, deserving, crippled children 
took shape and my life work was made plain to me. 

"A Home for Disabled Children was planned and 
eventually started in Maywood, Illinois. I took special 
studies to qualify me to handle properly and capably 
the work of financial secretary of the Home. During 
the year and a half between the starting of the Home 
and the writing of this article five children have been 



48 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

cared for and a great deal of improvement has been 
observed in all of them. 

"It is not the intention to overcrowd the Home 
with children, or make it institutional in any way, but 
to give them a real home with good care and Christian 
training, and also an education which will enable 
them to become self-supporting. In this way I hope 
to show that even a girl without arms, born and raised 
under the most unfavorable circumstances, can accom- 
plish much good by lending a 'helping hand 5 to other 
cripples, and thus make their lives better, sweeter and 
more useful." 

This lady's name is Kittie Smith, and the written 
article would be much more interesting could we ac- 
company it with the dozen or more illustrations in 
the Ladies* Home Journal, where she is seen writing a 
letter, using the telephone, making fancy-work, drink- 
ing water at dinner, using the typewriter and cutting 
out material for a dress. Pictures of her drawings, 
the desk, the table and quilt she made are also given. 

Here is a lady, educated, trained and equipped for 
a life of special usefulness, who has had to battle 
through difficulties which would tend to discourage the 
stoutest hearts. Yet, in spite of all, she is engaged in 
Christian work and proving to the world what one is 
enabled to do who will. 

We have lately seen the half-tone picture in Pop- 
ular Mechanics, of a man who had lost both legs and 
both arms in a railroad accident, yet he makes his liv- 
ing by selling the pictures which he paints. He brings 



NOTED FOE ITS UTILITY 49 

into requisition his chin and the stump of his right 
arm in handling the brush. 

About fifty years ago there was a member of the 
British Parliament by the name of Cavanaugh. This 
man was born with no legs whatever and with no arms, 
save stumps half way up to his elbows. His penman- 
ship was good, using a false hand for his writing. He 
was wheeled in each time by a valet, and was the only 
member who was allowed to address the Parliament 
without standing. 

There are some men who will not down, even from 
the standpoint of the world. May we not take a lesson 
from these "unfortunates" and rise above every im- 
pediment, and yet succeed in the kingdom of God? 

How many powerful revivals have occurred, when 
it was discovered that they were the result of the faith- 
ful, intercessory praying of some shut-in saint, who 
had on the prayer list the very ones who got saved ! 

Let me cite a quotation from Charles G. Finney's 
Eevival Lectures: 

"A pious man in the western part of this state (New 
York) was sick with consumption. He was a poor 
man, sick for years. An unconverted merchant in 
the place had a kind heart, and used to send him now 
and then something for his comfort, or for his family. 
He felt grateful for the kindness, but could make no 
return, as he wanted to do. At length he determined 
that the best return he could make would be to pray 
for his salvation. He began to pray and his soul kin- 
dled, and he got hold of God. There was no revival 



50 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

there, but by and by, to the astonishment of everybody, 
this merchant came right out on the Lord's side. The 
fire kindled all over the place, and a powerful re- 
vival followed, and multitudes were converted. 

"This poor man lingered in this way for several 
years, and died. After his death, I visited the place, 
and his widow put into my hands his diary. Among 
other things, he says in his diary: ; I am acquainted 
with about thirty ministers and churches.' He then 
goes on to set apart certain hours in the day and week 
to pray for each of these ministers and churches, and 
also certain seasons for praying for the different mis- 
sionary stations. Then followed, under different dates, 
such facts as these: 'Today,' naming the date, 'I have 
been enabled to offer what I call the prayer of faith 

for the outpouring of the Spirit on church, and I 

trust in God there will soon be a, revival there.' Under 
another date, 4 I have today been able to offer what I 
call the prayer of faith for such a church, and trust 
there will soon be a revival there.' Thus he had gone 
over a great many churches, recording the fact that he 
had prayed for them in faith that a revival might soon 
prevail among them. Of the missionary stations, if I 
recollect right, he mentions in particular the mission 
of Ceylon. I believe the last place mentioned in his 
diary, for which he offered the prayer of faith, was the 
place in which he lived. Not long after noting these 
facts in his diary, the revival commenced, and went 
over the region of country, nearly I believe, if not quite 
in the order in which they had been mentioned in his 



NOTED FOE ITS UTILITY 51 

diary; and in due time news came from Ceylon that 
there was a revival of religion there. The revival in 
his own town did not commence till after his death. Its 
commencement was at the time when his widow put 
into my hands the document to which I have referred. 
She told me that he was so exercised in prayer during 
his sickness, that she often feared he would pray him- 
self to death. The revival was exceedingly great and 
powerful in all the region; and the fact that it was 
about to prevail had not been hidden from this servant 
of the Lord. According to His Word, 'The secret of 
the Lord is with them that fear Him. Thus, this man, 
too feeble in body to go out of his house, was yet more 
useful to the world and the church of God than all 
the heartless professors of the country. Standing be- 
tween God and the desolations of Zion, and pouring 
out his heart in prevailing prayer, as a prince he had 
power with God, and prevailed" (Finney's Lectures, 
pp. 112, 113). 

Fanny Crosby was blind, yet see how she has blessed 
the world with her thousands of beautiful hymns, writ- 
ten even down to her old age. Let the weak ones look 
up and take on fresh courage. "My grace is sufficient 
for thee," and "He giveth more grace," are promises 
that should encourage those who are seemingly shut off 
from opportunities of service. "Whatsoever thy hand 
findeth to do, do it with thy might." The avenue to 
God in prayer, and the way to hearts are still open. 
Be of some service still. Like the palm tree, every 
Christian can be of much use in the world. 



52 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

Three young ladies had just graduated from school 
and were talking over their ambitions in life. One said 
her great ambition was to be an author and write some 
great book. Another said her ambition was to be an 
artist and paint some great picture which might be 
hung up in some gallery for people to see. The other 
young lady was silent, and hung her head. Her teacher 
saw her and remarked that she had not yet expressed 
her ambition in life. Finally, she replied: "I know 
that I do not amount to much, and that I have not 
much talent, but I was just thinking that my greatest 
ambition is so to live in this world, that when Jesus 
finally sees me coming, He can say, 'There comes one 
who has filled just the niche in the world that I wanted 
her to fill. 5 " 

As all parts of the palm tree are utilized, so will all 
of the palm tree saint be consecrated to God, so that 
God may call upon him at any time for any service 
which He in His infinite wisdom may require. But it 
will take a complete yielding up of all one's parts; 
his spirit, soul and body; his hands to work, his feet 
to walk, his eyes to see, his ears to hear, his tongue 
to talk, his mind to think, his heart to love, his talents, 
time, and earthly store at God's disposal, his family, 
his service, his all simply abandoned to the Holy Ghost. 

Eeader, this is the way to be useful, and the way 
to have all there is of you used. If you are not thus 
consecrated, look into your experience. 

Fifty years ago seven shoemakers in a shop in the 
city of Hamburg said, "By the grace of God we will 



NOTED FOR ITS UTILITY 53 

help to send the gospel to our destitute fellowmen." 
It is said that in twenty-five years they had established 
fifty self-supporting churches, had gathered ten thou- 
sand converts, had distributed four hundred thousand 
Bibles and eight million tracts, and had carried the 
gospel to five millions of their race. How many men 
would it take like that to carry the gospel to the world 
in twenty-five years ? 

Mrs. Adelaide L. Beers, wife of Bev. Alexander 
Beers, principal of the Free Methodist Seminary at 
Seattle, Wash., has furnished the following informa- 
tion concerning a family who moved to Seattle a num- 
ber of years ago. It beautifully illustrates the thought 
before us of utility in the Christian life. It not only 
illustrates utility itself, but, like the palm tree, utility 
of all parts. 

Mr. and Mrs. M — — , formerly of Goldendale, 
Wash., had a family of six boys and two girls. Having 
received the blessing of entire sanctification, and want- 
ing their children educated for God, they felt they 
could not endanger their souls by placing them in 
worldly, Christless schools. 

They owned a farm at Goldendale, but had little 
means available. They were not daunted, however, by 
the difficulties in the way, but with the heroic spirit 
of the "ancient worthies," they arranged to move to 
Seattle. The mother took the train, while as many as 
could, rode in a large wagon, and the others walked, 
leading several horses and cows. In turn they rode 
and walked, making the wearisome journey across the 



54 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

mountains, filled with hope and courage for the future. 
Soon after the mother's arrival in Seattle, a girl baby 
was born, being the ninth and last child. 

The first year of their stay in their new home was 
one of great hardship and self-denial. They lived on 
the plainest food, while every member of the family 
except the baby worked very hard to obtain a liveli- 
hood. The two older girls were already saved and 
sanctified and were placed at once in the Free Meth- 
odist Seminary. The boys were soon entered as stu- 
dants, and one by one converted to God. Two of the 
little boys with knee trousers were clearly saved in the 
children's meeting which was regularly conducted by 
Mrs. Beers. 

A few years of consecrated service and Christian 
education have passed and we sum up the results. A 
faithful father and mother have trained their family 
for heaven, and gladly yielded their all to Christ. 
The mother has left the toils and cares of earth, and 
has gone to be with Jesus. One is now at the head of 
the Free Methodist missionary work in China. An- 
other has been accepted as a missionary to China by 
the General Missionary Board .and is to labor with 
his brother. One of the daughters is a successful 
missionary, laboring with her husband, who is at the 
head of the missionary work in Japan. She received 
her call while a student in the Seattle Seminary. An- 
other heard the Macedonian call and gladly left all to 
go to China. One son is filling the principal's chair at 
the Free Methodist Seminary at Spring Arbor, Mich., 



NOTED FOB ITS UTILITY 55 

while another is principal of a high school in Seattle. 
All the family are saved, and are proving the Scripture 
true : "Train up a child in the way he should go, and 
when he is old he will not depart from it." While 

Sister M has finished her work and gone home to 

heaven, "her children rise up and call her blessed." 



CHAPTEE VIII 

THE PALM TREE IS APPRECIATED 

Search the world over; call for a concensus of 
opinion in civilized countries and heathen lands, and 
ask them what is the most appreciated tree in the 
world, and see if they do not with one voice exclaim, 
"The palm tree." 

In the civilized portions of the globe where the 
various kinds are not brought into requisition for their 
extensive utility, yet the beauty of the trees demands 
that they have a place in the front yards to decorate 
their surroundings. If any tree at all is used to beauti- 
fy the place, it is quite sure to be a palm. And when 
the climate does not admit of outside growth, the hot 
house will have its various kinds. But where is there 
a tree in the world that furnishes so much material for 
practically all the necessities of life where the palm 
is indigenous? When we think of the great variety 
of food, and furniture, building material, and the hun- 
dreds of useful articles of every description that are 
made from some part or other of this most valuable 
tree, it stands to reason that it occupies the very fore- 
most place of utility and appreciation. There are some 
places in the world that the inhabitants practically 

live from the products of the palm. The appreciation 

56 



IS APPRECIATED 57 

of it could hardly be estimated. Take it away and the 
people perish. 

In the realm of grace, there is an experience that 
is most appreciated. It is appreciated most by those 
who are the most familiar with it. It appeals little 
to those in spiritually frigid zones, who are utterly 
foreign to its utility ; but by those of a warmer climate 
who know of its valuable properties, it is prized above 
rubies and diamonds. Just as the Icelander or Green- 
lander cares nothing for the palm, and perhaps knows 
nothing of its merits, so the people who dwell in spir- 
itual Arctics do not appreciate the possibilities of this 
full salvation grace. Ask the possessor of the palm 
tree blessing what it is worth, and language at once 
fails. It becomes his very life from day to day. It 
furnishes his spiritual necessities of life. Cut off its 
supplies and he would be stranded as quickly as the 
islander in the tropics, without his real palm. 

Let the definite seeker after this blessing reach the 
point of actual possession, and he will have to pass the 
station of utmost desire and appreciation. He will 
reach a want in his soul that will surpass every other 
desire. He will sell all to purchase that field. It is 
the pearl of great price to him. 

Why do not more people obtain it? Because they 
are not willing to part with that which stands in the 
way of its possession. When God says "Blessed are 
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; 
for they shall be filled," He gave us a divine philosophy 
concerning the proper seeking. He wants a seeker to 



58 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

appreciate what he is after. That which costs nothing 
is rarely properly appreciated. That which costs a 
struggle and "all that he hath" will be held in high 
esteem. The crucifixion route which results in the 
death of "the old man," and the incoming of the ful- 
ness of God, puts one where he would rather part with 
life itself than this pearl of great price. 

We have been amazed at seekers at the altar of 
prayer; at the listless, lifeless way they have sought. 
Many times they fail even to make an audible prayer. 
This is prima facie evidence of a lack of appreciation. 
When the hunger reaches practical starvation, and the 
desire becomes sufficient, then the seeker will lay aside 
all conventionalities and press his claims regardless of 
people present or opposing foes, and lay hold on the 
precious prize. 

How often have we observed the half-hearted seek- 
er make his indifferent prayer and wait awhile and go 
away without the blessing sought, when at a later 
time, when intensity took the place of listlessness, and 
hunger pressed the soul, the agonizing heart pressed 
through spiritual chloroform, broke loose the padlock 
from the lips, and soon was rejoicing in the freedom 
of full salvation ! One time the writer was conducting 
a meeting in Knoxville, Tenn., and a sister came to 
the altar a number of times. She wanted the blessing, 
but did not seem to be enough in earnest, although she 
prayed aloud each time she came. Finally, we said 
to the sister, "If you will do what I ask you to do, you 
will get through in five minutes." Of course she want- 



IS APPRECIATED 59 

ed to know what that was, and she certainly would 
like to get through. We told her to pray like a house 
afire. Immediately, she took us at our word and 
started in according to our suggestion. It occurred so 
suddenly that we wondered if we had not made a mis- 
take and had a fear that it would not be as predicted. 
To make sure, and unbeknown to the sister, we took 
out our watch, and timed the prayer. In just three 
and a half minutes the fire fell and our seeker obtained 
her heart's desire. While pastor in the city of Los 
Angeles we had a member who was seeking the blessing 
of holiness periodically. She would come to the altar 
and weep and make a nice little prayer, but failed to 
reach the line of intensity adequate for the blessing. 
Obtaining nothing she would depart and not be at the 
altar again for perhaps a couple of months. When a 
service would reach a specially high tide of power 
and victory this lady would be down with others 
seeking holiness. Revival meetings were in progress 
and she was at the altar one evening, and, as usual, was 
not receiving. We tried to show her that she should 
constantly seek till she found ; that she should come to 
the altar every time she had an opportunity till she 
got through. Finally, we asked her if she would 
promise to come to the altar one hundred times in suc- 
cession without a letup, if she did not get the blessing 
before the hundred times were expired. After awhile 
she promised thus to do. Immediately we took out 
our pencil and right under her face we wrote the num- 
ber 100 on the altar rail, and pointing to it, said, "You 



60 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

have now promised to come to this altar one hundred 
times in succession providing you do not get through 
before." She assented. The following night she was 
faithful to her promise and got through that night. 
Intensity, desire, appreciation and determination are 
all factors in real seeking. Why do so many fail? 
There is a reason. Here is a soul that seeks one, two, 
three, or more nights and then ceases. On being asked 
why the seeking ceased the answer is, "Well, I tried 
and I did not get anything, and what is the use of 
trying further?" Now, the Lord took that all in at 
the start. He knew that the seeking was going to let 
up, and of course could not consistently bestow the 
gift under such conditions. If the Lord can look down 
the road and see that the seeker is going to give up at 
the end of a week or a month, He certainly has not the 
gift for one who does not value it more than that. But 
if He can look down the road and see a pile of bleached 
bones, or in other words, one who will die in the at- 
tempt before he will give up, He sees a heart that is 
about prepared to receive it now. 

We once heard the story of a man who was real 
hungry for holiness. He was in attendance at some 
spiritual gathering where a number of people were 
professing the experience. He cast about in his mind 
to find some holy man whom he might get to pray with 
him. After selecting his man, he asked him if he would 
go into the woods and pray with him that he might 
obtain the experience of sanctification. The brother 
was only too glad to go and was ready for the trip 



IS APPRECIATED 61 

at once. The anxious seeker said, "I have made up 
my mind that if I do not obtain the blessing at once I 
am going to remain all night in prayer. Will you 
stay with me?" The brother responded in the af- 
firmative. "But wait," said the seeker. "If I do not 
obtain the first night I am going to remain the second 
night. Will you remain with me?" After a little 
thought he again answered in the affirmative. He 
was ready to start, when the seeker declared he was 
going to remain the third night, then the fourth, until 
it amounted to a whole week. When he obtained the 
promise of his friend to stay by him, they started for 
the woods. After looking about for a good, grassy 
spot, and one that was nicely sheltered from the dew 
of the night he said, "This is a good place; let us 
pray." His knees scarcely touched the grass when 
he shouted, "Glory to God, I've got it!" Certainly! 
A good week of solid prayer ought to clear the way 
for anybody to enter in, and that honest, determined 
soul had virtually done that thing by faith, and God 
saw that he was bound to pray through, and so He 
cut the work short in righteousness and bestowed it 
upon him on the spot. 

There is something about an intensified determin- 
ation that God honors. The fact is, that He honors 
faith, and when the seeking soul gets into the state 
of mind where he feels that he wants the grace more 
than life, and is determined to have it at any cost, it 
invariably opens up the way of faith, and the victory 
at once is his. We once heard of a young man at a 



62 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

campmeeting who was seeking the Lord. When he 
came to the altar he curled up with his head in his 
arms and was perfectly mute. He would neither pray 
nor answer a question. While others were saved 
around him, he remained silent, and would leave with- 
out any help. This was repeated time and again. He 
always curled up the same way, and would never say 
a word to God or man. Finally, the workers, seeing 
they could not get anything out of him nor help him 
in any way, agreed among themselves to let him en- 
tirely alone. After this he came as usual to the altar, 
took his usual position, and while others around were 
praying through, he obtained nothing and went away. 
After a while it seemed to dawn upon his benighted 
mind that everybody had forsaken him, and that he 
would better pray for himself. Accordingly, he threw 
up his hands and screamed for help at the top of his 
voice. The merciful Christ, who said, "Him that Com- 
eth to me, I will in no wise cast out," was right present 
to take him in. In an instant he had the victory and 
leaped to his feet and shouted, "Glory to God! If it 
had not been for Jesus Christ, I never would have 
been saved." Certainly not. 

When all earthly hopes are gone, and one is thrown 
out alone on the merits of Jesus Christ, it is then that 
faith takes hold and the victory comes. It is certainly 
a sad sight at the altar when some daughter is crying 
her way to God in penitential grief, to have her foolish 
mother kneel down beside her and begin to stroke her 
and say, "My dear child, you have always been a good 



IS APPRECIATED 63 

girl." Immediately note how the girl drops the Lord 
and goes to leaning on her mother. The repentance 
stops at once, self-pity takes its place, a soul is ar- 
rested in getting saved and may possibly be lost for- 
ever. And yet this is being done continually. 

Mr. Charles G. Finney tells of a woman in one of 
his meetings who was much burdened on account of 
her sins. Mr. Finney was stopping at her house and 
daily he was called upon to come and pray for the 
woman. He responded from time to time and prayed 
for her the best he knew how, but found out that it 
was doing no good. Finally, the Lord showed him 
that the woman was depending upon his prayers in- 
stead of the Lord. The next time she asked him to 
come and pray for her, he said, "I will pray for you 
no more." Heartbroken and alarmed she threw herself 
on the mercy of the Lord and was saved at once. Christ 
must be depended upon alone. Other props must go. 
He needs no earthly help to save a sinner or sanctify 
a believer. 

And when the struggle is over and the pearl of full 
salvation is found, it will be observed that the harder 
the struggle and the more it cost, the more will it be 
appreciated. It is quite apparent that the cause of the 
fearful decadence of religion on every hand is the 
failure of obtaining the real thing on the one hand, 
and the failure to appreciate on the other. How some 
can claim Christ today and sell Him out tomorrow, is 
a marvel. The way to appreciate anything is to note 
what one will be with it, and what he will be without 



64 THE PALM TBEE BLESSING 

it. What is one with this great pearl in his possession ? 
He is safe for both worlds. He is saved from inward 
and outward sin. He has "joy unspeakable and full of 
glory." He has a life of usefulness ahead and a cer- 
tainty of everlasting bliss in Glory, where he will 
bear the palm of victory, wear the crown of glory, 
walk the gold^paved streets of the New Jerusalem, en- 
joy the presence of Christ and the angels and redeemed 
loved ones, and sing and shout and shine and serve 
forevermore. This surely will pay. On the other 
hand, to fail means a life of sin and sorrow and suffer- 
ing here, a loss of souls which one might win to Christ, 
an awful death bed, a frightful judgment day, and an 
eternity of remorse and horror and darkness and death 
and damnation. 

Reader, how much is Christ worth ? How much do 
you appreciate His gift? Let us ask some who let it 
slip. Judas, what is it worth ? What is Christ worth 
to you? The answer is, "Sixteen dollars and ninety- 
six cents." That was his price for the Savior; the 
price of a slave in the olden times if he were killed 
with a beast; the lowest price placed upon a human 
being. Demas, how much is it worth ? The answer is, 
"The love of this present world," for that is what he 
obtained. Saul, what is your salvation worth? "The 
gratifying of a jealous disposition," for he sold out on 
that line, till it turned to anger, then hatred and then 
murder, till finally he was utterly forsaken by God, 
and he turned into a spiritualist, consulted the witch 
of Endor, went into battle, committed suicide and 



IS APPRECIATED 65 

passed off from the stage of action here. Solomon, 
what was yours worth? "Outlandish women," is the 
answer, not from Solomon's lips, but from the inspired 
pen of Nehemiah. "Nevertheless even him did out- 
landish women cause to sin." Young lady, what was 
the price of your soul ? "Mother, hang my fine dresses 
upon the wall, and let me see them. There, mother, is 
the price of my soul," and she passed out into the 
darkness of the outer world. Again, young lady, 
what is the price of your soul? "That young man. I 
gave up Christ for him. I had to decide between the 
two, and I took him. Christ has been a stranger to 
me ever since." Shall we sell out Christ for pleasure, 
or people, or pursuits, or popularity? God forbid. 
Let us raise the price of our soul and appreciate the 
gift of God and let nothing come between. 



CHAPTEE IX 

THE PALM TREE WILL GROW IN THE 
DESERT 

It is such a hardy, thrifty tree, that if it has any 
chance at all, it will thrive where other trees will fail. 
Even in the hot sands of the Sahara, its green foliage 
is seen, and it grows in spite of discouraging environ- 
ments. 

The Holy Spirit made no mistake when He de- 
clared that a certain class should flourish like the palm 
tree. Where will it flourish? Any place in a proper 
climate where it has half a chance. By the rivers of 
water, on the rugged mountain side, by the rocky 
hedges, in the desert sands where scorching sun and 
swirling simoon have beat upon it, there it grows. It 
is a flourishing tree. 

In the realm of gospel grace, God has made provis- 
ion for saints to flourish under circumstances that are 
a wonder to the world. 

The outward condition of some of God's people is 

indeed deplorable. They are surrounded with deepest 

poverty, in the poorest of health, with a number of 

small children depending upon them, and in addition 

to all, they are away from former home and friends. 

Some women are actually undergoing all this, and 

to make the desert worse, they have a profligate, abus- 

66 



WILL GROW IN THE DESERT 67 

ive husband further to burden their life. And yet, 
"the God of all grace" has come into these lives who 
have abandoned themselves to the Holy Ghost, and 
proved to them that they are of God's own hand 
planting, and through His sustaining grace they have 
flourished in their experiences, even in such desert 
places. I have no doubt if the reader will cast about 
in his mind he can recall those of like experience. 

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad 
for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as 
the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice 
with joy and singing. * * And the ransomed of the Lord 
shall return, and come to Zion with songs and ever- 
lasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy 
and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" 
(Isa. 35:1,2,10). 

There is nothing else in the world that will cause 
deep, settled satisfaction in the human heart when the 
surroundings are of the desert nature. The people 
of the world draw their pleasure and satisfaction 
from the things of the world, but these are not calcu- 
lated to satisfy the longings of the heart. No matter 
how much one may have in the way of worldly riches, 
worldly honors, worldly pleasures, there is always a 
void in the soul, a something that is not satisfied. The 
human heart is so big, that if the whole world were 
poured into it, it would not fill one crack or crevice. 

When God made the animal creation, He designed 
that all their pleasure should be obtained from their 
surroundings — from the things in this world, whether 



68 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

it be the fish in the stream, the bird in the air, or the 
wild animal that roams over mountain and glen. But 
when He made man He put into him desires, hopes, and 
ambitions that reach out and above this mundane 
sphere. He never intended that man should draw his 
satisfaction and enjoyment just from this world. Out- 
side of grace, no one is satisfied, because he is out of 
his natural, normal, creative element. The little bird, 
or fish, or other animal is satisfied because it is in its 
creative sphere. Man, living in sin and away from 
God and holiness, is dissatisfied, because he is out of 
his proper element. What is man's creative sphere? 
"Created in righteousness and true holiness." That is 
the way God created man, and until man gets back to 
God, in communion with Him and heaven, he never 
will have a satisfying portion. "For he satisfieth the 
longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness" 
(Psa. 107:9). Without any of this world's goods in 
the way of riches, honors or pleasures, one abandoned 
to the Holy Ghost will have a deep sense of soul-satis- 
faction, and will rejoice in the midst of dismal, desert 
surroundings. 

When Madame Guyon was in the Bastile, a prisoner 
of the Lord, she declared the Lord made the old stones 
of the murky wall to shine like rubies. 

One of the happiest men it was ever my lot to meet, 
was one who had nothing of this world to cause his 
happiness. He was an inmate of the poor house at 
Placerville, Cal. He occupied a small, dingy bedroom 
all alone, and lay on a cot, afflicted in body, and never 



WILL GROW IN THE DESERT 



expected to leave it till Jesus said, "Come up higher." 
While engaged in evangelistic services in that city, we 
visited him more than once. It was a benediction to 
enter his presence and behold his smiling face and 
hear his praises to God. It seemed he was living four- 
fifths in heaven. He was certainly flourishing like 
the palm tree in that desert. We had a feeling of sor- 
row for the dear brother in his affliction, and loaned 
him a book on divine healing, hoping that he might 
get the inspiration of faith, and trust the Lord to heal 
him. After we thought he had time to read the little 
book, we called upon him again and asked him what 
he thought of it, and his answer was about as follows : 
"I have been thinking that it would be best to let good 
enough alone. I am getting along so well here and am 
so blessed, I do not know how it might turn out if I 
should get well." 

Another man, one of the most contented and happy 
that I ever saw, was a born cripple. He had one arm 
and a part of another; was so crooked in his lower 
limbs that it was with great difficulty that he could 
propel himself with the use of canes. This brother 
from poverty's dale would hobble out on Fourth street 
in San Francisco, with his little carpet-bag stool, and 
basket of trinkets for sale, and sit there reading his 
Testament, and shine for God. One day this brother 
handed a man a five dollar gold piece, desiring him 
to go and get it changed. The dishonest man never 
returned, but the dear brother never murmured, only 
said that he could not afford to lose it. Just about 



70 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

that time a stranger came by and purchased some little 
article and handed him a five-dollar gold piece and 
would not accept any change. "In some way or other, 
God will provide." 

Every night found this happy, sanctified cripple at 
the gospel mission with shining face and victorious tes- 
timony. He usually closed his testimony with these 
words : "This has been a little the best day I ever had 
in all my life." Brother Cooley is now rejoicing where 
the streets are made of gold. 

Why will souls not learn to seek their pleasure from 
the right source ? With the failure of multiplied mil- 
lions who have gone on before and those who are now 
trying to fill their cup with earth's deceiving joys, shall 
I be such an egotistical fool as to think I can succeed 
in something when all before me tried and failed? 
The way of true success is laid down in the Word: 
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy 
mouth ; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, 
that thou mayest observe to do according to all that 
is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way 
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" 
(Josh. 1:8). 



CHAPTEE X 
THE PALM TREE FINDS THE WATER 

This marvelous production of nature is not hindered 
by the scorching sun of the desert, nor is it dependent 
upon the copious showers of rain. If the rain comes, 
all well and good; but if it fails, the palm flourishes 
right on anyway. But it will get to water. If it does 
not come down from above, then it sends down its 
roots till they drink at the subterranean stream below. 
Water it must have and water it will find. 

Now, if God has a people that flourish this way, 
it signifies that they will get where there is the water 
of life. If the "showers of blessing" are falling in the 
revival meeting, or campmeeting, or at the regular 
preaching service, they are sure to be present if pos- 
sible and "take of the water of life freely." Perchance 
they are out on some spiritual desert far from any 
means of grace where the gospel sound is never heard ; 
there they are not dependent upon the revival rains, but 
they send down the roots of faith till they strike the 
under-currents, and then with joy they "draw water 
out of the wells of salvation." 

How refreshing to meet with such independent 

specimens of God's handiwork! If they get to the 

place of worship where God's people are free, they are 

71 



72 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

a whole campmeeting in themselves. Out of them are 
flowing "rivers of living water," because of the Spirit's 
in-coming. They never dry up, nor freeze up, because 
they keep in touch with the living stream from the 
heavenly fountain head, and bask in the spiritual trop- 
ics where the Sun of righteousness has arisen upon 
them. 

Oh, for more palm tree saints ! May we all be so in 
touch with the reservoir of the skies, that we may say, 
"All mj springs are in thee." Then, no matter whether 
our lot is with many pilgrims or none, we may flour- 
ish on and shine and shout, and show to the world that 
we are in touch with hidden springs. Amen! 

It is certainly a puzzle to the world and worldly- 
minded professors, when one, who has no visible means 
of enjoyment, keeps up a happy, cheerful experience, 
and though her lot or his lot is extremely dry and 
barren of what generally goes to make people happy, 
yet the hidden stream is flowing, and that soul is 
drinking of the fountain that never runs dry. The 
deep, underlying current has been found and is sup- 
plying a peace which the world can not give, nor can 
it take away. 

When the martyrs went to the stake, they had a tri- 
umphant tread and a victorious faith and a well-spring 
of joy which were indeed an enigma to the persecutors. 

Who can understand Madame Guyon in her dis- 
mal prison cell singing her sweet song, a hundred times 
happier than those outside, or realize the triumphant 
joy of the apostle Paul as he faces the axman's block, 



FINDS THE WATER 73 

and expresses a gladsome victory over it all, unless he 
is acquainted with the deep under currents of full sal- 
vation life? 

What would have become of the apostle John on 
Patmos' lonely isle, shut off from all associations with 
kindred spirits on earth, with no prayer meeting nor 
fellowship such as he had been so accustomed to en- 
joy, had he not known the way to the hidden springs 
which brought him in contact with the Eternal? 
There was no place to banish this pilgrim saint that 
would shut him off from the water of life. When hu- 
man hands banished him to an island in the sea, think- 
ing they could cut off his supply, he proved to the 
world that he could reach the hidden springs and be 
in touch with the Infinite, in spite of his banishment. 
God's holy ones are a conundrum to the world. "For 
we are made a spectacle [theatre in the margin] unto 
the world, and to angels, and to men," and they do 
not understand the mystery of the hidden glory and 
springs of life, the very angels desiring to look into 
some of these mysteries (1 Peter 1: 12). 

There are some people, when we have not seen them 
for a few months, we hardly dare to ask them how they 
are prospering, for fear they will drop their heads and 
say, "Well, not so well as I would like." They have 
not been drinking at the fountain. They did not send 
down their roots and find the under currents of saving 
grace; and the result is, they have no victorious testi- 
mony to the power of Jesus to save. On the other 
hand, there are certain individuals, though we have not 



74 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

seen them for years, we scarcely think of asking them 
how they are getting along, for we have known of their 
overcoming life so long, that we naturally take it for 
grantd that it is still well with their souls. We do not 
expect anything different from the past, except more 
of it. Many years ago we received a postal card from 
a brother in a distant city relative to some business. 
It being a business card, the most of it was 
printed matter, even his name being printed. 
The card closed with these words: "Yours 

saved, H. W. S. ." In thinking the matter 

over, we observed that in all probability the brother 
had several hundreds of the cards printed, and he knew 
very well that it would take some time, perhaps weeks 
or months, before the last card would be sent out. The 

thought then was, Brother S , how did you know 

that when the last card would be sent out, it would still 

be, "Yours, saved, H. W. S "? How did you know 

but it would be, "Yours, backslidden, H. W. S "? 

The fact was, that Brother S had made no cal- 
culation on backsliding, and he figured that the last- 
card would be just as true as the first. Eight or ten 
years passed and we received a note from this same 
brother. Instead of signing his name the way he did 
before, it was, "Yours, saved to the uttermost, halle- 
lujah, H. W. S ." Now, after years had passed 

and gone, he could still sign his name the same, only 
more of it. 

In the economy of grace, God has made no provis- 
ion for one to have less grace than in the past. The 



FINDS THE WATER 75 

best experience of one's life should be up-to-date. It is 
a sad epoch in one's life when he can take a retrospect 
and look down the lane of long ago and see a better 
experience than now. That person has certainly head- 
ed toward Egypt that sees the highest plane of his 
Christian experience, and then gets the consent of his 
mind to live on a lower plane. "Therefore, leaving the 
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto 
perfection." When the children of Israel crossed the 
Red Sea they sang and shouted and had a hallelujah 
time; but their slogan was, "On to Canaan." When 
finally, the survivors and those who were born on the 
way crossed the river Jordan, they built a monument, 
which signified that they had come over there to stay. 



CHAPTER XI 
THE PALM TREE GETS OTHERS STARTED 

Where this remarkable tree finds root, and grows, 
it is almost sure, sooner or later, to cause other palms 
to spring up ; so that it does not need to be alone. 

Take it out in the sands of the Sahara, when this 
product of nature gets started, others spring up, then 
more, and they bring the moisture to the surface, till 
the green grass begins to spread, and the springs come, 
till finally the beautiful oases are found here and there, 
and make the stopping places for the desert caravans, 
where the travelers find rest and coolness in the shad- 
ows, and water for man and beast. There are places 
in the Orient where the Arabs have planted these palms 
on purpose to start an oasis. Refreshing spot! Pro- 
lific palm trees ! Reader, are you still measuring up ? 
Are you growing alone ? Has no other tree started be- 
cause of your life and influence? May be you are 
saying, "We do not have any holiness meetings or 
prayer meetings where we live." But why? If not, 
why not? Is there not a kitchen in your house ? What 
hinders you from having a good prayer meeting, or 
Sunday school there ? Be careful, or you will not find 
yourself flourishing like the palm tree. Surely, you 

ought to get another tree started; then, by that one's 

76 



GETS OTHERS STARTED 77 

influence, get another, then another, till springs arise in 
your desert place, and the spiritual oasis will call for 
the desert traveler to come and rest and drink. 

Never rest contented to grow alone; it is too lone- 
some. It is neither like nature nor grace. Get some one 
else saved, or find out the reason why. We know a man 
who once held a prayer meeting in a school house six 
months before anybody else attended. Finally, they 
began to come and it resulted in a revival. See the 
persistence of some of the foreign missionaries. Think 
of the hardships of those early pioneers who blazed 
their way through dark continents, and with a deter- 
mination to win, they pressed their way through and 
with faith and prayer and continuous efforts, they saw 
the fruit of their labor in others finding Christ as their 
personal Savior. With David Livingstone's heart in 
the middle of Africa, his sun-dried mummy in West- 
minster Abbey, his spirit in the glory world, do you 
not think he is glad that he got others started to carry 
on his work in the land of darkness? If John G. 
Paton, taking his life in his hands, could go into the 
New Hebrides, and there brave the awful hardships 
and dangers of those cannibal islands, and finally win 
out and see them converted to God like a nation born in 
a day, does it not look as if you, my dear reader, ought 
to start the work somehow in your midst, and get hold 
of God by fasting and prayer, and never give up till 
an oasis is started in your community? "Where there 
is a will, there is a way." It takes grit and grace, but 
God's storehouse has never yet been exhausted, and 



78 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

there is yet the man to be born that has proved all the 
possibilities of grace. 

Cast about in your mind and think of that person, 
perhaps only a lassie or lad, that found Christ, and 
though persecuted at home at first, yet, by faithful per- 
severance, finally won the whole family to God. Think 
of that one who dropped into the revival meeting some 
distance from his home and found the Lord, and then 
carried the fire back to his own community and the 
revival broke out there. Think of those faithful pil- 
grims who have moved far out in some frontier settle- 
ment and stood firm for God and holiness, and finally 
got a meeting started and today the church flourishes 
in their midst. They had the experience that flour- 
ishes like the palm tree. 

There is something in the very nature and heart of 
the palm tree saint that longs and plans for the plant- 
ing of God's kingdom among men. If one is so situ- 
ated that he is isolated from sanctified people, he is 
not going to sit down on the stool of do-nothing and 
wither up and die ; but he will begin to cast about and 
see what he can do to start a Sunday school, or a 
prayer meeting, or send for a holiness preacher. He 
must get other palms started in his community. Dr. 
Carradine tells the story of the two women at the toll 
bridge in Kentucky who got the blessing of sanctifica- 
tion and set about praying for a holiness meeting in 
their community. They prayed long and faithfully 
and would not give up. Somebody heard of their ex- 
perience and visited them, then wrote an article about 



GETS OTHERS STARTED 79 

them and put it in the paper. A preacher providen- 
tially saw the article many miles from their abode, but 
it so got hold of his heart that he hade up his mind 
to see them and get the same thing. God honored his 
desire and faith, and was answering their prayer at 
the same time. This brother received the blessing and 
so preached it that others in his church received the 
same. At the conference this brother was persecuted 
on account of the new-found blessing of holiness, but 
he had grace enough to stand and endure and not re- 
taliate. Dr. Carradine saw the abundant grace in this 
brother's heart and life, and it made him hungry for 
the same thing. In due time the persecuted brother 
was invited to hold a revival meeting in Dr. Carra- 
dine 's church, which resulted in the Doctor's getting 
the experience himself. Time passed on and finally 
the prayers of these two faithful women were an- 
swered, in that Dr. Carradine held a meeting in their 
town and led a number of others into the experience. 
These two palm tree saints felt a spiritual loneliness 
in being there without others growing, and so they 
never rested till they had a grove of them. 

A certain preacher who was also a carpenter in 
Southern California, was about to move to some new 
place. He carefully thought the matter over and de- 
cided to move to a place where he hoped in the near 
future to plant a grove of palm tree saints. He thought 
he and his family might form a nucleus and thus estab- 
lish the church of his choice (for it was a holiness 
church) in that place. Accordingly he went, and 



80 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

worked at his trade and preached what he could and 
got as many interested as he was able, and after a 
while the writer, together with a fine band of workers, 
went to this town and pitched a tent and began to 
preach holiness. Before we left we established a 
church, with this brother as pastor, and now after 
a very few years, this brother is enjoying holiness in 
the heavenly world, and the church planted in that 
town is flourishing, having built a church and parson- 
age. There is something in it that wants to get others 
started. That is the secret of successful missionary 
work among the heathen. Carey leaves the cob- 
bler's bench and sails across the seas and soon has his 
palm groves growing in India's soil. Paton moves to 
the Hebrides and jeopardizes his life among the sav- 
ages, but never lets up till he sees the groves flourish- 
ing in that dark and dreary land. Livingstone plunges 
into darkest Africa alone, but he does not remain alone ; 
God reaches those black and benighted savages and 
turns them into saints, and the oases begin on African 
soil. And so all over the world today are being planted 
God's palm tree saints who are getting others started 
and the big world is now being dotted with palm tree 
groves. Thank God forever. Reader, where are you 
living? Is your abode far off from sanctified people? 
Do not get discouraged ; God answers prayer. Do your 
best, and the first thing you know you will have some 
one to take his place by your side to push the work, 
and who knows but that in a short time there may be 
a flourishing community of full salvation saints there ? 



CHAPTER XII 

THE PALM TREE MOUNTS HEAVEN- 
WARD 

It would seem that the variety of palms which 
climbs upward into the sky, was bent on getting as far 
from the earth and as near heaven as possible. They 
ascend till they outstrip the other trees, and seem de- 
termined to get above swamp, miasma and everything 
else of a grovelling nature. There, in their exalted 
sphere, they wave their perennial boughs, and bear 
their fruit, and bask in the beautiful sunshine, and 
live in an element truly above the world. 

Are you flourishing like that? Is there something 
divine in your very being that makes you ambitious 
to rise as far above this world of sin and as near heav- 
en as it is possible to get? Can you sing from ex- 
perience, 

"I rise to walk in heaven's own light, 

Above the world and sin; 
With heart made pure and garments white, 
And Christ enthroned within"? 

God has chosen us to sit together in heavenly places 
above the mist and fog and spiritual malaria of this 
sin-laden world. With the palm tree blessing in our 
souls, we are not yearning for the flesh pots of Egypt. 
The leeks and garlic and onions of * the past Egyptian 

81 



82 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

diet have no charms for such a one. He has risen to 
heavenly heights, where he catches the smiles of his 
Savior and is enabled really to look down on things 
terrestrial. 

When Pharaoh was pressed by Moses and Aaron 
to let the children of Israel go, he first refused, then 
tried to compromise by letting them worship the Lord 
"in the land." When this failed, he tried the second 
compromise and said he would let them go, "only ye 
shall not go very far away." Pharaoh was certainly a 
long-headed schemer. He knew if they did not get 
very far away, he would not have very far to go after 
them. Then, again, he knew if they were not very 
far away, and had a hard time to get something to 
eat, they would not have far to get back and fill up on 
garlic and onions. 

It is just that way with Pharaoh's antitype, the 
devil. He first refuses to let his subjects go. Then if 
they are bound to go and be Christians he tries to get 
them to do their religion "in the land;" that is, re- 
main in the world and be worldly professors. How 
many are really deceived at this point! When the 
devil sees that this compromise will not take, he tries 
the next one and says if they are bound to be Chris- 
tians, all right and good, but "ye shall not go very far 
away." 

How many poor deluded souls bite at this bait! 
They do not get very far away from Egypt, and cer- 
tainly the devil has not very far to go after them. 
Then, when they fail to get enough in their religion 



MOUNTS HEAVENWARD 83 

to satisfy the longing desires of their hearts, they nat- 
urally turn towards the flesh-pots of Egypt, and 
should they feel abashed because of their church pro- 
fession in going outright to the theatre, dance, card 
parties and other worldly amusements, they get them 
up in the name of the church and religion, and have 
a fourth class performance in the church, or enjoy 
the fun and frolic of strawberry festivals, bean sup- 
pers, oyster stews, grab-bags, fish ponds, and so on ad 
libitum. They may try to hide the smell of their 
Egyptian diet, but anybody can tell when one has been 
eating onions and garlic. 

Thank God some folks got such a boost when they 
left Egypt, that they never long for any of the former 
life. Like the palm tree, they are above it all. 

Imagine the apostle Paul attending the perform- 
ances which some churches have these days ! There are 
pilgrims scattered over the world today so lofty in 
their spiritual makeup, that to stoop to the level of the 
pleasures of the worldly professors would be so utterly 
incongruous that it would border on the ridiculous. 

The palm tree blessing is a high blessing. It is the 
"higher life" indeed. "And a highway shall be there, 
and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; 
the unclean shall not pass over it" (Isa. 35: 8). 

"There is a path which no vulture's eye hath seen." 
This is the path of the pilgrim. It is so high that the 
vulture in his aerial flights has never yet been able 
to look down upon it. Pity such a person? Never! 
The world thinks they are looking down upon us, but 



84 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

no worldling on this mundane globe ever looks down on 
the palm tree saint as he walks the narrow, heavenly 
trail, practically oblivious of conditions below. Let 
not any worldling think that he is looking down on 
God's holy ones; they are looking down on him and 
they are so far above, that he looks like a mere dot upon 
the surface. 

The minds of many are turned towards the air 
ships of teh day. The aviators are vying with each 
other in long distances, speed, altitudes, and endur- 
ance; but the palm tree saints have solved the prob- 
lems of aviation long ago. They have an heirship, 
though it may not be spelled exactly like those of the 
world, yet, for altitude, endurance, speed, and long 
traveling, it perfectly eclipses them all. The aviator 
of the world may break the world's record today, and 
break his neck tomorrow, but the possibilities of the 
Christian aviator are exceedingly charming and the 
dangers are reduced to naught. He is safer in his 
heirship than on the earth. Borne upward on the 
wings of faith, pushed onward by the propeller of per- 
fect love, with a lateral stability which is a marvel 
to many who gave him "just three weeks to hold out," 
he is still rushing on towards the meridian sun, and has 
been out of sight for years. He never expects to come 
down again. Some day he will fly so far away from 
earth's attraction, and get so near heaven, that the 
gravitation, inversely to the square of their distances, 
will pull so in the other direction, that he will sail 
into Glory and drop his pardon and purity bi-plane 



MOUNTS HEAVENWABD 85 

on the gold-paved streets of the New Jerusalem, 
amidst the shouts and cheers of the angelic host and 
the multitudes that have sailed in before, there to en- 
joy .an eternal "aviation meet" with prizes and crowns 
of glory for all. 



CHAPTEE XIII 

THE PALM TREE IS PECULIAR IN ITS 
GROWTH 

We have in the botanical world the exogenous and 
the endogenous tree. The exogenous tree grows by 
adding to its exterior. Year after year adds layers or 
rings to the outside, thus increasing its size. It is in 
this way that scientists are enabled to determine the 
age of trees. Some of the mammoth trees of California 
show an age of many hundred years. Most of the trees 
with which we have to do are of the exogenous type. 

The endogenous tree increases by internal growth. 
The palm tree is endogenous. Its growth is internal; 
out from the center and out at the top. 

How exact to the analogy was the Holy Spirit when 
He inspired the statement, that "the righteous shall 
flourish like the palm tree" ! The palm tree saint does 
not have his growth from the external, pushing out 
along the lines of earth, and parallel to things of the 
world ; but his growth is internal, and upward toward 
God and heaven, and perpendicular or diametrically 
opposed to the world, the flesh and the devil. 

When the Holy Spirit gave us a picture of the 
sinner, it was "spreading himself like a green bay 
tree." A glance at the margin of this text will reveal 
that the green bay tree indicates one that is growing 

86 



IS PECULIAR IN ITS GROWTH 87 

in its own soil. It has never been transplanted. It 
remains in the same old conditions and environments. 
It spreads out on the earth and clings to things ter- 
restrial. Thus, the sinner, growing in the same soil, 
in the same surroundings and conditions of sin year 
after year, having never been transplanted nor trans- 
lated from nature's darkness to the marvelous light 
of God, pushes out along worldly lines and worldly 
pleasures, knowing nothing of the internal develop- 
ments of grace, nor upward growth towards God and 
glory. 

Whenever a professing Christian spreads out with 
worldly ambitions, is determined to lay up his treas- 
ures upon earth, hungering more for the adjoining 
quarter section of land than for the mansions beyond, 
determined to have a name down here at the risk of 
having none in heaven, he certainly is far from the 
palm tree type. 

With Christ crowned inside, and all the elements 
of Christian growth firmly planted within the heart, 
no wonder there are inward developments unseen by 
mortal eye, that expand the saint's soul more and more 
as the years roll on, and enable him to rise more and 
more above terrestrial things to heights in the heaven- 
lies. 

With the secret of growth internal, it is not hin- 
dered by elements external, for one's life "is hid with 
Christ in God." How comforting, then, to the soul, 
to know that his secret growth is so far from external 
things, that neither trials, tests, troubles, tribulations, 



88 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

persecutions, disappointments, losses, crosses, circum- 
stances, men, nor devils can necessarily hinder him 
from pushing out and up in the divine life. 

In the earlier days of persecution of holiness pro- 
fessors, how often the fighting faction has tried to 
snow some of God's fire-baptized saints under, only 
to see them rise up through the snow drift, with per- 
ennial freshness and smiling face ready for the next 
cold blizzard of snow. Or, perhaps it was a wet blanket 
suddenly thrown over them and their testimony, but 
the fire within only burnt its way through and turned 
the wet into steam and proved the possessor to be prac- 
tically invulnerable. It is indeed hard to cut off one's 
growth when it comes from within. There may be a 
momentary check at times when unforeseen obstacles 
are thrust in one's way, but the growth producing qual- 
ities within assert themselves and burst out with in- 
creasing force which make the tormentors wonder 
"what next?" 



CHAPTEE XIV 

the palm tree has a coarse, rough 
exterior; but it is soft at 

HEART 

In spite of its symmetry, its wonderful beauty and 
its perennial freshness, the palm tree has rather a 
harsh exterior. But being an endogenous tree, its 
pithy interior makes it always soft at the center, or 
heart. 

In the realm of grace, we often find some of God's 
best saints with a somewhat coarse-grained exterior. 
They may be uncouth, unlettered, uncultured, and 
reared in the backwoods, but they can look up with 
Job and say, "He maketh my heart soft." 

While Christian education is to be prized, and cul- 
ture to be much esteemed, there are some who have 
not had these advantages, yet have proved by actual 
experience that God's grace is free for all, and a 
clean, soft heart can abide beneath a rough exterior. 

Me thinks Elijah, with his rough garments and 
shaggy hair, had underneath his crude exterior one 
of the softest hearts of his times. John the Baptist, 
with camel's hair clothing, leathern girdle, and locust 
pabulum had a kind, soft heart within. 

Sometimes God's people are much misunderstood 
because of their natural uncouthness and blunt man- 

89 



90 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

ners, when, if their hearts could be seen, they would 
appear whiter than snow and softer than silk. Thank 
God, He knows. 

The beautiful blessing of "perfect love" has been 
often misunderstood. Some seem to think it is a sort 
of lovey-dovey, sentimental something that makes its 
possessor smile on everybody and everything no matter 
what the moral quality may be. Perfect love some- 
times assumes the rugged type, and deals along dras- 
tic lines. It can weep with those who weep, but when 
there is a very critical operation to perform, there 
may be no place for tears just then, for tears would 
blind the eyes. 

Elijah, whose heart was full of perfect love, came 
to a place where the false prophets had to be ex- 
terminated, and he had grace and grit enough to carry 
out the heaven-appointed program. 

John the Baptist, whose experience Jesus Christ 
Himself did not question, could face the hypocritical 
church members and say, u O generation of vipers, who 
hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring 
forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Matt. 
3:7,8). 

No, perfect love deals death blows where death 
blows are needed. A mad dog is running loose in the 
street. Children are playing on the opposite corner. 
Some one rushes out with a bludgeon in his hand, and 
jeopardizes his life, but he lays out the mad dog. 
Some sentimental on-looker asks, "Was that love that 
prompted you to treat that dog thus?" He answers, 



A COABSE EXTERIOR, BUT SOFT AT HEART 91 

"Yes; love for those innocent children over on the 
corner." 

A man is drowning. In vain he struggles and 
screams. He is about to perish, when a stalwart speci- 
men of humanity swims out and deals the poor man a 
terrible blow in the proper place to stun him. He 
•ceases to struggle, and the expert life-saver swims 
ashore and lays his man at the feet of rejoicing friends. 
Some one says, "Was that love that made you strike 
that poor, helpless man?" He replies, "Yes; if I 
hadn't stunned him, he would have drowned himself 
and me too." 

A freight train was pulling into an Illionis town in 
the night. The crew saw a building on fire and had 
reason to believe that a friend was upstairs in a cer- 
tain room. The train was stopped and two men rushed 
to the scene of the fire. Up the stairs they mounted 
and never stopped to knock at the chamber door, but 
rushed to the slumberer. There was no time for cere- 
monies. They grabbed the man and dragged him down 
the stairs most abruptly. They had scarcely reached 
the outside when the stairway fell in, and had they 
been a minute later all would have been lost. Imagine 
that rescued victim complaining of harsh treatment, 
skinned shins and sprained ankles! Love made the 
rescuers adopt speedy and most drastic measures and 
nothing else would have saved. 

When the writer was a small boy in Iowa, a pre- 
siding elder of the M. E. Church lived in his town. 
He was an exceedingly corpulent man, weighing some- 



92 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

tiling over three hundred fifty pounds. One day he 
was taken very sick and a physician prescribed for 
him, leaving the medicine in the form of powders for 
him to take. The great, big preacher looked at the 
small powders and then at his bigness, and said to 
himself : "I am so large I think I would better take two 
of them." He accordingly took a double dose and soon 
discovered that they were putting him to sleep. His 
family and friends saw the awful mistake he had made, 
and determined to use desperate measures to keep him 
awake, or they well knew they would soon have a dead 
presiding elder on their hands. Accordingly, love went 
to work. They walked him about, switched him, and 
punished him in any way their quickened ingenuity 
could invent. In vain he begged them to let him alone 
and sleep, but they threshed him and punished him 
till they wore off the effect of the opiate and saved his 
life. Would any one question the promptings of love 
that led those people to give their presiding elder such 
a beating? I trow not. 

Did Jesus Christ love when He drove the money 
changers out of the temple at the end of a whip ? Did 
Daniel have love when he faced the wicked Belshazzar 
and told him of his sins at the risk of his own life? 
Was there love in Jeremiah's heart when he swore to 
the truth and changed not, even if he did land in the 
dark, miry dungeon? Where was Joshua's love when 
he put his foot on the necks of the Canaanitish kings ? 
What about Samuel and Agag ? Look over the history 
of the Old and New Testaments and note some of the 



A COARSE EXTERIOR, BUT SOFT AT HEART 93 

rugged measures taken by God's prophets and others, 
and see that it was not always of the easy-going, soft- 
gloved, alligator-teared type. 

In the far north, when it was an object to get the 
mail over those bleak, barren plains, with the ther- 
mometer many degrees below zero, one frightfully 
frigid morning the express driver was bundled up for 
his long, cold ride in his sleigh. Just as he was about 
to start, a rather scantily-dressed woman came up with 
a baby in her arms, and told the driver that she had 
just received news of her husband's death, and she 
must go with him. He remonstrated with her and tried 
to show her that she could never stand the cold trip; 
that she would certainly freeze on the way. But his 
words were futile, for she climbed into the sleigh and 
was determined to go to her husband. Finding that 
he could not prevail upon her to desist, he tucked her 
in the bottom of the sleigh, piled the straw around, 
placed the wraps about her and her baby and started 
on. As they progressed, the cold grew more and more 
intense. The icy flakes began to fill the air, and the 
wind was cutting its way through to the very marrow. 
Finally, the driver saw the poor woman nodding, and 
discovered the sleepy droop of her eyelids. He thought, 
"O ! the poor woman is freezing to death and what 
shall I do?" He hastily tried to think of some way of 
saving her life, when suddenly he stopped the sleigh, 
and quietly, without saying a word, took the baby from 
her arms and lifted the freezing form of the woman in- 
to the road ; then he took the babe in his own arms and 



94 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

drove on. At first she staggered and stumbled around 
and then seemed to come to herself and discovered that 
the driver was actually running off with her baby. The 
chase then began in good earnest. He managed to keep 
just far enough ahead to encourage her in her desperate 
run. Finally, he saw the glow return to her cheek, and 
knew that the warm blood was again coursing through 
her body, and then he quietly let her in, placed the babe 
in her arms, snugly tucked them in and drove on to 
their destination. At the journey's end she said, "O, 
how I thank you for what you did ! If you had not 
done that, my baby would have been an orphan to- 
night." Rough treatment was that; but it was prompt- 
ed by love. Judging from the exterior appearance, it 
surely looked rough and frightfully cruel; but a heart 
of kindness was beneath it all. 

A certain phrenologist was giving a public exhibi- 
tiontion showing the science of phrenology. A well- 
known citizen was on the platform having his cranium 
and physiognomy examined, the result of which was 
being communicated to the audience. The man had 
some very prominent bumps and features which indi- 
cated a disposition far from pleasant, and the examiner 
was telling it out to the congregation as one striking, 
ugly point after another was discovered. As the phre- 
nologist proceeded from one statement to another, de- 
lineating the man's character, the congregation first 
smiled, and then burst into laughter. The professor 
was actually describing the man opposite to what he 
really was. They knew the man, and it excited their 



A COARSE EXTERIOR, BUT SOFT AT HEART 95 

risibilities to see the scientist so far miss the mark. 
Of course it was embarrassing to him, but on con- 
cluding his talk, the gentleman who had been exam- 
ined asked if he might say a word. He then told the 
people that the phrenologist had told the truth and had 
given a very- accurate description of his natural dispo- 
sition; that he had perfectly pictured out his former 
life; that the reason why he was not that way now, 
was because of the grace of God that had come into his 
life. Grace had made the change, but the old, rough 
exterior was not worn off, and the phrenologist had 
judged from the appearance. 

Let us not judge by the external simply. Like the 
palm tree, one may be crude and rough outside, but in- 
side he may meet the loving approbation of God. 



CHAPTER XV 

THE LIFE OF THE PALM TREE IS AT 
THE CENTER 

This is unlike the life of all the exogenous trees, 
which is at the surface, or rather just beneath the bark. 
When the life-giving sap circulates along the length of 
these trees, it moves in its course close to the outside 
surface. When the maple tree is tapped, they catch 
this flow of sap, because it is near to the outside. When 
farmers want to destroy a tree, all they have to do is to 
girdle it, or, in other words, cut the bark down to the 
wood all around the tree, and thus stop the circulation 
of sap, and the tree soon withers and dies. Such a tree 
can not stand too much abuse. If it is chopped and 
hacked and peeled, or girdled, it seems to discour- 
age it, and it gives up and dies. Not so with the palm 
tree. It has its life at the center. One may rip it and 
peel it and girdle it, and it grows just the same; it 
has a hidden life. We have actually seen a row of 
palms which had been burnt, and yet they had pushed 
out of their dismal darkness, and thrown out fresh 
foliage. They do not get discouraged and quit when 
the odds are against them. 

Does the reader still find himself flourishing like 
the palm tree? The perplexing and persecuting times 

96 



LIFE IS AT THE CENTEB 97 

will come more or less to all of us, and then how we 
will need the palm tree blessing ! 

Take the professor of religion minus the real pos- 
session, and let him be placed under the distressing 
ordeal of certain lines of adversity. Let him be cut 
with the cruel tongue of the talker, peeled with pop- 
ular prejudice, girdled with the scalpel of the religious 
dissecter, crunched by cruel cannibals who love to de- 
vour one another, and see how quickly the spiritual 
sap ceases to flow. See how soon he withers and 
shrinks up and says, "What is the use of trying any 
more; I might as well give up my religion." He may 
not come out openly and above board and declare his 
intentions, but that is about the outcome. But see how 
it works on the palm tree saint, whose life is "hid with 
Christ in God." Drag him through the streets by the 
hair of his head as they did John Wesley; incarcerate 
him as they did John Bunyan ; incinerate him as they 
did the martyrs of old ; excommunicate him and revile 
him as they did some in our own day; ecclesiastically 
decapitate him and skin him alive, and girdle him 
clear around, and then see him leap and dance, and 
sing and shout "Hallelujah ! You can't hurt me, for 
I have the palm tree blessing, and my life is hidden 
inside." The sap flows right on, and, though the out- 
side may be somewhat worse for the wear, yet the 
Christ-life within surmounts it all and shouts its vic- 
torious way over all obstacles. 

Had the early saints not known this wonderful 
blessing, they surely would have failed in the strug- 



98 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

gles of life. Hear the apostle Paul as he faces the 
guillotine block: "For I am now ready to be offered, 
and the time of my departure is at hand. I have 
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith; henceforth, there is laid up for me 
a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, 
but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 
Tim. 4:6-8). 

Hear the apostle John on that dreary Isle of Pat- 
mos: "He that overcometh, shall inherit all things." 
"These are they which come out of great tribulation, 
and have washed their robes, and made them white 
in the blood of the Lamb." 

See the martyrs all down the ages with an inner 
current of joy as they faced fagots, and with unfalter- 
ing step gave up their lives and flew to heaven in 
chariots of fire. There were no outside punishments 
that could cut off their life flow. It was hidden so deep 
that stripes, nor stocks, nor sword, nor stones, nor any 
other kind of affliction or infliction could reach its 
fountain head. 

There are those of our present day who know by 
actual experience the joys of this inner, invulner- 
able gift. Had it not been for this, they would have 
been swept into the vortex of discouragement and de- 
spair long ago. O, the unspeakable joy of a life that 
is not superficial, but hidden so deep that the devil's 
darts or any of his devices can not reach it ! 

How is it that sister can sing and smile when a 



LIFE IS AT THE CENTER 99 

thousand trials conspire to cut off the flow of holy- 
joy? Because she has the palm tree blessing, and her 
life of devotion and blessing is not external where the 
things of earth can reach it. 

When one murmurs and complains, and finds fault 
with environments and the things which would tend 
to annoy, let him know that he is living at the ex- 
ternal, and does not know the joys of internal rest 
where these things do not intrude. Thank God for an 
inner current of holy life, which flows on, supplying 
the life more abundant and keeping the soul in blessed 
equipoise amidst the surgings of life's storms. 

So we see that the palm tree is endowed with an 
abundant life. Jesus said in John 10 : 10, "I am come 
that they might have life, and that they might have it 
more abundantly." The palm tree is certainly a fine 
type or illustration of life more abundant. Now, if the 
Christian is to measure up alongside of this character- 
istic, then he must have that which Jesus meant by the 
more abundant life. It is not sufficient to have life 
in Christ ; he must have it abundantly. 

What is this life more abundantly? Look at the 
school boys as they file out of school. They can scarce- 
ly contain themselves, having been pent up through 
the day. Some are yelling, some are running and some 
are manifesting their life in other ways. They seem 
to have more than they know what to do with. Look 
at the stall-fed calf. See it gamboling over the mead- 
ow. Notice the lambs frisk and frolic. Every action 
signifies abundant life. This is all physical life; yet 



100 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

the Holy Ghost coming into the believer's heart and 
life will impart the spiritual life more abundant. 
Wherever there is life, we may hope to see the mani- 
festation of that life. If there is life more abundantly, 
then we may hope to see more abundant manifestations 
of that life. The sinner is dead in trespasses and sins. 
The believer is made alive in Jesus Christ. The differ- 
ence between a Christian and a sinner is the difference 
between a living body and a corpse. If a funeral was 
in progress and Jesus Christ should come by as He did 
when the procession was on the way from Nain to the 
cemetery, and speak life into the dead body, how long 
would it be before the person in the coffin would find 
it out, and also the people looking on ? When a soul is 
born again, regeneratd by power divine, there are man- 
ifestations of that life, and the individual certainly 
finds it out, and it is obvious to those who know him. 
Where there are no manifestations of life it is certainly 
taxing to one's credulity to believe there is life. The 
other day we read in the paper of a funeral in progress, 
and in the midst of the service the child who was dead 
or supposed to be, arose in the casket and looked quietly 
around. The grandmother sitting near by was so 
shocked at the sight that she instantly fell over dead. 
It would not take the observers long to ascertain that 
the child on the one hand was alive and that the grand- 
mother on the other hand was dead. There is too 
much in these latter days that passes for life when it is 
death. It is certainly a marvelous experience to be 
made alive unto God. We pick up a paper and read of 



LIFE IS AT THE CENTER. 101 

a certain revival where hundreds and perhaps thou- 
sands have been converted. The question is: Have 
they really been made alive from the dead, or have 
they simply made a resolution and joined the church? 
We have never been very visionary, nor have we 
been carried away in trances ; but we did have a dream 
once that we felt sure was from the Lord; at least the 
interpretation came so clearly and quickly at the mo- 
ment of waking, that we have felt the Lord's hand was 
in it. The dream ran thus : We had gone into a cem- 
etery and followed a lady into a tomb. At the center 
of this tomb was a casket. The lady walked up to the 
casket and quietly lifted the lid and laid it aside. 
She then gently placed her hands inside the casket and 
lifted out of it the form of a young man. This young 
man seemed to come to life as she took him out. She 
then placed him on her lap, took a clothes brush and 
nicely brushed his clothes. He then stood up. We 
were standing near the wall, and this young man was 
observed to roll a cigarette between his fingers and 
looking our way, asked for a match. We had none for 
that purpose and never do. Immediately we said, 
"Just out of the grave and yet he continues in his 
sins." Then the lady gently took this young man and 
laid him within the casket, and he was as dead as 
before. The lid was placed in shape and immediately 
we awoke, whereupon a voice seemed to say clearly, 
"This is a modern revival." And is it not true? Do 
they not have many who stand up or sign their names 
and join the church? They seem to have a little life 



102 THE PALM TBEE BLESSING 

for awhile; are brushed up and stood up, when, lo, 
and behold the old sinful life clings to them, and in a 
few days they are back in their old state of death just 
as dead as before. Surely, that is not the kind of life 
Jesus came to bring. 

Now, if in the incipient life which Jesus brings, 
there are manifestations of the same, does it not hold 
true that in the life more abundant there should be 
expected greater manifestations of that life ? We read 
that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc. 
This obtains in the justified relation, when the power 
of an endless life begins to work in the heart and life 
of an individual. Then when that life becomes more 
abundant in the sanctified experience, the love, joy, 
peace, and all the rest are more abundant. In pardon 
we have love; in purity, perfect love. In pardon 
we have joy; in purity, fulness of joy. In pardon we 
have peace; in purity, perfect peace. In pardon we 
have salvation; in purity, full salvation. In pardon 
we have life; in purity life more abundant. Surely, 
the sanctified soul ought to manifest more love, joy, 
peace, longsuffering, and the rest of the imparted 
graces than those who do not enjoy sanctification. 
Alas, too many who profess this "second blessing, 
properly so-called," do not manifest it in their lives. 
The palm tree abundance seems to be wanting. When 
our dear mother was very old, and did not always get 
her letters properly connected in her letter writing, 
one time she wrote us a letter in which she spoke of 
the blessing of sanctification. She got all the letters 



LIFE IS AT THE CENTEB 103 

in, but placed the "c" before the "a" and made it spell 
"scantified." We thought that was true of far too 
many ; their sanctification is scantification ; alas, far too 
scant. 

We had this life more abundant wonderfully il- 
lustrated on a certain occasion while holding a meeting 
in the city of Indianapolis. We stepped into a 
doctor's office and observed a platform about four feet 
square. This platform was perfectly insulated by 
having glass feet beneath. The object of the platform 
was to form a place for an individual to sit and then 
fill him full of electricity. A chair was placed on this 
platform, and we were asked to take a seat on it. At 
first we were somewhat dubious. We had read of the 
electrocuting chair, and did not know just to what ex- 
tent the lightning might be turned on. After a little 
persuasion, and looking at the matter rather philo- 
sophically, thinking that others had been there without 
being killed, we ventured to take a seat. At once the 
power was turned on and in a moment every hair on 
our head was standing straight up, as we observed in 
the mirror. The power went through and through our 
body from head to foot. It felt glorious, and no one 
needed to tell us that something was going on inside. 
The doctor placed his hand near our body, and a sharp 
crack was heard, a spark of lightning flew out to 
meet him. Every time the hand approached any part 
of us, the report was heard and lightning would flash. 
Our friend was sitting near and he was asked to shake 
hands with us, whereby he responded, "No, you don't." 



104 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

He felt there was too much going on for him to trifle 
with lightning that way. Now, we would not want 
to convey the thought, that necessarily when one ob- 
tains the blessing of holiness there will be felt electric 
shocks throughout his being; but we do mean to say 
that when an individual places himself and all that he 
has on God's platform of consecration, and becomes 
perfectly insulated from this world, that God will 
turn on the power of the sanctifying baptism with the 
Holy Ghost, and that individual will surely know that 
the mighty work has taken place. And not only the 
one who receives the blessing will be cognizant of the 
fact, but others who come in contact with him will 
ascertain the same. To say that one has the blessing 
of holiness, but has no power, is to say what is not true. 
To say, "I am still sanctified, but I have lost the pow- 
er," is to speak contradictory to the Word of God. 
There are some things which God has joined together, 
and surely we have no right to put them asunder. 
When the individual becomes perfectly insulated from 
the world and worldliness, and makes proper connec- 
tion with the dynamo of the skies, something is surely 
going to happen. 

Once we heard a preacher tell an experience he had 
when a telegraph operator. It sometimes fell to his 
lot to go down the line and see what caused obstructions 
to the messages. One time while out on such a duty he 
observed the line was broken. Usually he took along 
with him a telegraph instrument with which to send 
and receive messages. This time he had neglected to 



LIFE IS AT THE CENTER . . 105 

carry such an instrument. He saw the importance of 
sending back a message, but having no instrument, he 
did not see how it could be done. At length he thought 
of placing the two ends of the wire together, and by 
joining them in the proper way he could use the Morse 
code of dots and dashes, etc. He accordingly tried the 
experiment and it worked so successfully that he man- 
aged to get a message through to the office. The next 
thing was, how could he get a message from the office 
to himself ? He could not hear the dots and dashes as 
they might pass along the wire to him. Finally, the 
thought struck him, that he could make his body a 
means of transmission of the message. Accordingly, 
he took hold of one end of the wire with one hand and 
the other wire with the other hand, when here came 
along the message and passed right through his body, 
making the dots and dashes of the system perceptably 
realized by the jerking of the hands and arms. Here 
he had hold of one wire connected with the office, and 
with the other hand he had grasped the wire that con- 
nected with the other side and through him came the 
message. Would to God that more people had learned 
the secret of perfect insulation, and could have their 
very being so transformed that they would become 
channels through which the Holy Ghost could pour 
His own messages of divine truth out on a careless and 
deceived world! We need to become channels of 
life, abundant life to a lost and ruined world. 

The world is perishing for life. The old hum- 
drum of lifeless religion is too repulsive. When a cer- 



106 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

tain noted preacher was asked why more people did 
not attend church, the answer was, "Because they can 
not stand the humdrum." There is something about 
life that is attractive. A jumping, laughing, rollick- 
ing baby always attracts attention. The frisking lamb, 
the playing pups, the rollicking children, all attract. 
Folks don't like death. Funerals are sad. Graveyards 
are quiet places. The heart of man cries out for life. 
God puts a spiritual hunger within the breast for the 
life more abundantly. The lifeless, emotionless, joyless 
prayer meeting or preaching service never had its 
origin in the Pentecostal upper room. They are not 
the congregations of Spirit-filled, fire-baptized souls. 
David said, "My cup runneth over." Isaiah said in 
that memorable twelfth chapter, that the people would 
do five things: praise, pray> testify, sing, and shout. 
Then he gives as a cause for it all, that "Great is the 
Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." And it is 
true to the letter. When God gets in the midst of peo- 
ple there are these beautiful manifestations. The peo- 
ple praise the Lord, call upon His name, make mention 
that His name is exalted, sing and shout. When the 
meeting dies, these things are wanting. "Life, life, 
eternal life!" Let this be our cry till the dead wake 
up, and the slumbering church arouses from its stu- 
por, and the pulpit pulsates with Pentecostal fire. 

The last thing a person wants to meet is death. No 
wonder it is termed an enemy. If then death is so 
dreaded in the material world, why should we not 
abhor spiritual death? Thank God we do not need 



LIFE IS AT THE CENTER 107 

to have it around. With Christ the very embodiment 
of life, who was dead, but now is alive forevermore; 
with heaven's mighty reservoir of the elixir of life at 
our command, there is no need of spiritual cemeteries. 
We do not have to leak out our life because somebody- 
said so; because some persecutor said something detri- 
mental to us, or used some weapon of war against us. 
Did not martyrs of old face death at every turn? Paul 
said, "I die daily." He was in constant jeopardy. He 
never could tell when an angry mob would swoop down 
upon him, or he would be cast to the wild beasts. Yet 
none of these things moved him. He had a life like 
the palm tree, so hidden inside that external things did 
not affect. Indeed some of the early martyrs seemed 
to be endowed with miraculous physical life. It is re- 
corded that the apostle John was cast into a caldron 
of boiling oil, but was miraculously delivered, the oil 
having no effect upon him. 

When Blandina, a Christian lady, was undergoing 
such tremendous tortures by her persecutors, though 
weak in her constitution, yet she sustained such aid 
from heaven, that her tormentors several times became 
weary in their wicked work, and declared that she 
must have been supported by some invisible power. 

Sanctus was a deacon at Vienne. He was tortured 
for Jesus' sake and bore it all with marked fortitude 
and exclaimed, "I am a Christian." When red hot 
plates were applied repeatedly to the most sensitive 
parts of his body, till the sinews were contracted, still 
he remained unmovable, inflexible in his steadfastness, 



108 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

and he was again placed in prison. In a few days he 
was brought forth again, when his tormentors were 
wonderfully astonished to find that his wounds were 
healed and his body sound and perfect. He was again 
put to the torture, but being unable to take his life, 
he was again remanded to prison, where soon afterward 
he was beheaded. 

We may not be called upon to suffer physical tor- 
ture at the hands of heartless persecutors in these days, 
but "They that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suf- 
fer persecution." We surely will have it in some form if 
true to God. The world does not love our Christ. 
Jesus told His own brothers that the world could not 
hate them, but it hated Him, because He told them 
their deeds were evil. When our persecutors come, 
what are we going to do? If we have the palm tree 
blessing, we have a life hidden so deep that the world 
can not reach it. This life is a heart life. It does 
not lie on the surface where the enemy's tortures can 
reach it. Look at the sainted martyrs in the early day ; 
how they endured the afflictions that were heaped upon 
them, without a murmur, and would not flinch, nor 
compromise a hair's breadth. Their tormentors were 
taxed to the extreme in devising modes of suffering by 
which they hoped to succeed in getting the Christians 
to deny Christ. In order to show the real hidden life 
of the palm tree saint we will record the case of two 
martyrs as told in "The Historic Martyrs of the 
Primitive Church," by A. J. Mason. 

Probus was presented. "Put away all foolish Ian- 



LIFE IS AT THE CENTER 109 

guage," said Maximus, "and tell me what you are 
called." 

"My first and best name is Christian; my second, 
by which men call me, is Probus." 

"Of what station in life?" 

"My father was a Thracian, but I was born at Sida 
in Pamphilia. I am a civilian, but a Christian." 

"Little good you will get from that name. Follow 
my advice, and sacrifice to the gods, that you may 
receive honor from the emperors, and be a friend of 
mine." 

"I do not want the honor of the emperors, nor am I 
anxious for your good offices. I had a considerable 
property, but I gave it up, to serve the living God 
through Christ." 

"Take off his cloak. Gird him up. Put him at the 
stretch. Beat him with thongs of rawhide." 

The •compassionate centurion, Demetrius, again 
spoke : "Spare yourself, man ; you see your blood run- 
ning to the ground." 

"My body is at your disposal," answered Probus. 
"But your punishments to me are an anointing with 
sweet ointments." 

After a time Maximus began again his attempts 
at persuasion : "Will you not have done with this mad- 
ness now? Do you persist in it, unhappy man?" 

"I am not mad. I am wiser than you. I do not 
serve devils." 

"Turn him over and beat him on the belly." 

"Lord, help thy servant." 



110 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

"As you beat him, say, 'Christian man, where is 
your helper? 5 " 

"He has helped, and He helps me still. I care so 
little for your punishment, that I will not obey you." 

"Think of your body, unhappy wretch. All the 
floor is covered with the blood from it." 

"Let me tell you this : the more my body suffers for 
Christ's sake, the better it is for the health of my soul." 

"Put him in irons, and stretch him to the fourth 
hole. Let him have no attention paid to him." 

Tarachus is then brought before Maximus. 

"Well, well, Tarachus," said Maximus. "I suppose 
that the reason why people honor old age is because 
of the greater wisdom in counsel that comes with it. 
Therefore, give yourself good advice, and do not today 
persist in your former notions, but sacrifice to the 
gods, and earn the praise of piety." 

"I am a Christian," answered Tarachus, "and I 
pray that you and your emperors may earn the same 
praise, and may put away all hardness of heart and 
blindness, and be quickened by the true God to a higher 
and better grounded conviction." 

"Knock his mouth with stones, and say to him, 
'Cease your folly.' " 

"If I were not of sound mind, I should be a fool as 
you are." 

"See, your teeth are all loosened. Have pity on 
yourself, unhappy man." 

"Nothing that you can do hurts me, not if you were 



LIFE IS AT THE CENTER. Ill 

to cut off all my extremities. I stand steadfastly be- 
fore you in Christ which strengthened me." 

"Follow my advice. You had better. Come and 
sacrifice." 

"If I knew that I had better do it, I should not 
suffer as I do." 

"Strike him on the mouth, and tell him to cry out." 

"When my teeth are dashed out, and my jaws 
crushed, I can not cry out." 

"Will you not even now comply, impious man? 
Come to the altars, and pour a drink-offering to the 
gods." 

"Though you have stopped my voice so that I can 
not cry out, you can not hinder the thoughts of my soul. 
You have made me bolder and firmer." 

"I will take down your firmness, ruffian." 

"I am at your disposal. Whatever you devise, I 
shall be more than a match for you in the name of 
God who strengthened me." 

"Open his hands and put fire in them." 

"I am not afraid of your fire, which endures for a 
moment; but I am afraid lest, if I were to obey you, 
I should become a partaker of the eternal fire." 

"Look, your hands are consumed with the fire. 
Will you leave off your madness, senseless man, and 
sacrifice?" 

"You talk to me as if I had begged you not to use 
your arts of persuasion upon my body. I am proof 
against all that you are doing to me." 



112 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

"Tie his feet and hang him aloft by them ; then send 
up a thick smoke in his face." 

"I thought nothing of your fire; do you suppose 
that I shall be afraid of your smoke?" 

"Consent to sacrifice, now that you are hung up." 

"You may sacrifice, sir; you are accustomed to sac- 
rificing — even to sacrificing men. But God forbid that 
I should do so." 

"Put strong vinegar, mixed with salt up his nos- 
trils." 

"Your vinegar is sweet and your salt has lost its 
saltness." 

"Mix mustard with the vinegar and pour it into his 
nostrils." 

"Your officers are deceiving you, Maximus; they 
gave me honey instead of vinegar." 

"I will think of some punishment for you next 
court day, and I will put an end to your folly." 

"And I shall be the readier for your devices." 

"Take him down; put him in chains and give him 
over to the gaoler. Call the next. 55 



CHAPTEE XVI 

THE PALM BRANCH IS THE SYMBOL 
OF VICTORY 

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, 
which no man could number, of all nations, and kin- 
dreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, 
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and 
palms in their hands ; and cried with a loud voice, say- 
ing, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the 
throne, and unto the Lamb. * * * These are they which 
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" 
(Kev. 7:9,14). 

"When this cruel war is over," and the last enemy, 
Death, has been conquered, and every tribulation has 
been passed through triumphantly, then we shall come 
forth on the victor's side, clothed with white robes, 
and waving our palm branches gloriously, having over- 
come by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our 
testimony. 

When Jesus made that triumphal entry into Jeru- 
salem, just before His crucifixion, the rejoicing fol- 
lowers acknowledged His kingly victories, and did 
homage by preparing His way, and "took branches 
of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, 

113 



114 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh 
in the name of the Lord" (John 12: 13). 

Not only did the palm branch have the significance 
of victory in the Bible, but certain countries have used 
it as a token of victory and rejoicing, a symbol or evi- 
dence of superiority or success. In our present day, 
"to bear the palm" means to come off victoriously. 
This expression has evidently been borrowed from the 
ancient symbol. 

What other tree in all the world could so well be 
used to signify victory ? When we think of its beauty, 
its perpendicular straightness, its perennial freshness, 
its sweet and abundant fruitfulness even in old age, 
its almost incomprehensible utility, its successful de- 
velopment where other trees fail, its natural propen- 
sity to ascend heavenward, its marvelous hardiness 
with its internal and upward growth, does it not stand 
to reason that the palm branch should be the most 
fitting type of Christian triumph and joyous victory? 
No other tree could be used so well to symbolize the 
victory of him who is fighting under the banner of 
King Emmanuel. 

Now, if we are to flourish like the palm tree, then 
we shall flourish with victory. 

We are taught in the Word that "we are more than 
conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37). 
This means that the palm tree saint can fight and win 
and be ready to fight again. 

David's fight with Goliath illustrates it. He 
marched out against his enemy and God's enemy with 



PALM BRANCH IS SYMBOL OF VICTORY 115 

five sling stones, and the first throw something entered 
Goliath's head that made an impression which he 
never got over. And then the stripling, shepherd lad 
had four more stones to kill four more giants if neces- 
sary. 

In the economy of God's grace He never arranged 
for us to be succumbers, but rather overcomers. Read 
the marvelous promises of Revelation for those who 
overcome. There are seven of them, and note the as- 
cending scale. 

1. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat 
of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise 
of God." 

2. "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the 
second death." 

3. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the 
hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and 
in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth 
saving he that receiveth it." 

4. "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works 
unto the end, to him will I give power over the na- 
tions. * * * And I will give him the morning star." 

5. "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed 
in white raiment ; and I will not blot out his name out 
of the book of life, but I will confess his name before 
my Father, and before his angels." 

6. "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in 
the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out : and 
I will write upon him the name of my God, and the 
name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, 



116 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

which cometh down out of heaven from my God : and 
I will write upon him my new name." 

7. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with 
me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set 
down with my Father in his throne." 

Wonderful stepping stones to the throne! Seven 
steps and into Glory! 

Let us examine them in their order: 

1. He eats of the tree of life. Death has slipped 
away and eternal life has come. He is living forever 
now. We eat of earth's food to live here, and we eat 
of the tree of life to live forever. 

2. He has promise of a safe passage and a proper 
landing. He shall not be hurt with the second death. 
Insurance in the King's Insurance Company, secures 
a positive guarantee against the second death. Wrap- 
ped in the asbestos robes of full salvation, makes one 
immune from the fires of perdition. 

3. He eats again; but now it is hidden manna. 
Hidden manna was inside the holy of holies. Thus, 
he reaches the "second blessing" properly so-called. 
Now arises special persecution and calumny; but the 
great Judge in casting the ballot for the condemned, 
puts in the white stone for acquittal : hence, he receives 
the white stone at this stage. "What shall we then sa}^ 
to these things ? If God be for us, who can be against 
us?" (Rom. 8:31.) 

4. Power, the positive side of holiness is now par- 
ticularly manifested. Also, the night of trouble, trial, 
testing, temptations, and tears will pass away. The 



PALM BRANCH IS SYMBOL OF VICTORY 117 

"morning star" is seen. He is looking toward the sun- 
rising, toward the morning when the Sun of righteous- 
ness shall appear. 

5. Now, the "white raiment" of a holy life shines 
forth particularly. His outward life and testimony 
give him away. His hidden life manifests itself out- 
wardly and differentiates itself from all other life. 
The inward glory is shining out to the surface, and his 
life is seen and felt. In proportion to the inward glory 
will the outward effulgence be manifested. Jesus, on 
the mount of transfiguration, let the inward glory out 
through His garments, and they became garments of 
light. 

Now comes the announcement that his name will 
not be blotted out of the book of life. While it is 
possible to pass the point in sin, where the soul fixes its 
destiny for damnation, so it seems that there is a point 
in the progress of spirituality and grace and overcom- 
ing, that fixes the soul's destiny for Glory. His name 
is confessed before God and the angels. The veil is 
getting very thin here, between the overcoming pil- 
grim and Paradise. In fact he is living mostly in 
heaven now. 

6. He is now counted a pillar in a peculiar sense. 
Like the pillars of ancient Egypt and Babylon where 
great monarchs -carved their names, battles, victories, 
marvelous achievements, and chiseled their pedigree 
and dynasty, so God takes this time-honored, battle- 
scarred, self-sacrificing pilgrim at this stage and makes 
him an illustrious pillar in the temple of God, and 



118 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

writes in his favor his victories and exploits, his over- 
coming life. He is to go no more out. As some are 
sealed for eternal damnation in this life, so he is sealed 
for eternal glory. 

"I will write upon him." Yes, God will carve upon 
him victories and conquests. He will write upon him 
the city of God — his sure destination. Like the address 
on a sealed letter, with the government of the country 
back of it to see that it arrives safely at its destination, 
so with God's "epistles," "sealed with that Holy Spirit 
of promise," with the address of his destination plainly 
written thereon, and with the government of all heav- 
en interested in seeing him through, we see the over- 
coming saint nearing the Great White Throne. The 
end is near ; he is overcoming to the last. He has been 
ascending the steps, till now he sees inside the pearly 
gates, and one step more will put him inside. 

7. Here he is in glory at last, and a place with 
Jesus in His throne. Exalted place ! With Christ, the 
great Overcomer, he sits down with Him in His throne, 
It is more than finite minds can comprehend. Surely, 
it will pay to be true to Jesus and be a final overcomer. 

When we read these wonderful promises to the 
overcomer, and see with what precision and certainty 
he is made to ascend the spiritual scale to Glory, we 
scarcely wonder, that before we reach the close of 
Revelation we hear the sudden announcement : "He that 
overcome th shall inherit all things." 

"And this is the victory that overcometh the world, 
even our faith" (1 John 5:4). The overcoming, vie- 



PALM BRANCH IS SYMBOL OF VICTORY 119 

torious life is the only kind that satisfies the soul and 
qualifies for spiritual success in this world. The out- 
side world is looking upon us, and if they do not see 
something in us beyond that which they see in them- 
selves, there will be no inducement from our standpoint 
for them to make any change. 

God has provided a life in which it is possible to 
"rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything 
give thanks." The psalmist said, "I will bless the 
Lord at all times ; his praise shall continually be in my 
mouth." No person can, by mere volition, bring him- 
self into a frame of mind to bless the Lord at all times 
and have His praise continually in his mouth. The 
harassing trials and nagging disappointments incident 
to earthly life are too many and too severe to admit of 
the everlasting praise life without the grace of God 
within. And many with a measure of God's grace have 
not become acquainted with the secret of continual 
praise. Let us look at two statements, one in the Old 
Testament, and the other in the New Testament. 

"All these things are against me" (Gen. 42:36). 

"All things work together for good" (Eom. 8:28). 

The first statement comes from Jacob; the second 
from the apostle Paul. Paul said he had learned in 
whatsoever state he was in, therewith to be content 
(Phil. 4: 11). Jacob was looking at the mere external, 
and judging accordingly. What were the things that 
were against Jacob ? "Me have ye bereaved of my chil- 
dren: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will 
take Benjamin away. All these things are against me." 



120 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

But Jacob, you are very much mistaken. The very 
things you say are against you, are all working to- 
gether for your good. Joseph, right now is in Egypt, 
the governor of that land, and is not dead as you 
suppose. Simeon is all right under Joseph's watch- 
care, and Benjamin will be in the best of hands. Jo- 
seph went before, to be a loadstone to draw Simeon 
there, and Simeon is a loadstone to draw Benjamin 
there, and Benjamin will be a loadstone to draw you 
there and all the rest of the family to preserve you 
alive and to bring about God's wonderful plan and 
providence in the Hebrew nation. No; the trouble 
with Jacob was with his foresight; had that been half 
as good as his hindsight he never would have said what 
he did. 

Perhaps Paul did not have so much to contend with 
in his day. Let us see. "In labors more abundant, in 
stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in 
deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty 
stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with 
rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered ship- 
wreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep: 
in journey ings often, in perils of waters, in perils of 
robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by 
the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wil- 
derness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false 
brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings 
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold 
and nakedness. Besides those things that are without, 
that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the 



PALM BRANCH IS SYMBOL OF VICTORY 121 

churches" (2 Cor. 11:23-28). In spite of all these, 
hear his overcoming, victorious faith say: "All things 
work together for good." 

There is probably no department in the Christian 
life which is more desired and for which more prayer 
is offered, than the victory department. There are so 
many trials, disappointments and annoyances from day 
to day, that if one allows them to overcome him he is 
constantly confronting failure and chagrin. But to 
know that one is from day to day and moment to mo- 
ment living in the praise and overcoming life, gives 
him a joy and satisfaction that is simply glorious in 
the extreme. 

There are many Christians who go through the 
world in a sort of up-and-down, to-and-fro, in-and- 
out, zigzag way that is certainly discouraging. To 
have victory today and defeat tomorrow, keeps one on 
edge all the time, not knowing which way the battle 
is going to turn. A lesson from the book of Joshua 
is encouraging. When he began that wonderful series 
of conquests just after crossing the Jordan into Cana- 
an, it was victory after victory. Here is a sample of 
the records: "And he did to the king of Makkedah as 
he did unto the king of Jericho." Then follows like 
statements in almost the identical language except that 
the cities are different, showing that he took the last 
city and conquered it and its king in precisely the 
same manner as he did the one before. God had pre- 
viously promised him that he should have just that 
kind of victory in Canaan. "Hereby ye shall know 



122 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

that the living God is among you, and that he will 
without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, 
and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, 
and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebu- 
sites" (Joshua 3:10). Notice two things in this: It 
was to occur in Canaan, and there were to be seven 
nations conquered. Is not this typical of Holy Ghost 
victory in the sanctified life? Canaan is a type of holi- 
ness, and seven is the perfect number. God wants us 
to have perfect victory from day to day over all our 
foes, and He will supply that which will enable us to 
overcome. 

So many so-called soldiers of the cross are living 
simply on the defensive with scarcely a thought of 
spiritual, aggressive warfare. Look at the great bat- 
tles that have been won in the world's history. Were 
not most of them won by the aggressive side ? Look at 
the whole armor of God as the inspired pen of Paul 
pictures it out in the sixth chapter of Ephesians : the 
helmet for the head, the breastplate for the vital or- 
gans of the body, the shield for the whole man, and a 
sword to do aggressive execution. We see the whole 
front of the man protected, but what about the back? 
There is no protection for that part of the body, for 
God's soldiers are not expected to turn their back to 
the foe. If they do, they are sure to be hit. When the 
writer was a boy, accompanied by other boys, he dis- 
covered an old Indian burying ground on the beach 
bluff near Santa Barbara, California. They had seen 
indications of such a place, and were diligently search- 



PALM BBANCH IS SYMBOL OF VICTOBT 123 

ing for the exact spot. Finally, they discovered some 
rib bones sticking out of the bank, where the constant 
washing of the waves had in time crumbled the bank 
down. With shovels in hand they went about the de- 
lightsome task of uncovering the dead, with the hopes 
of finding wampum, arrowheads, pottery or any other 
relics which might have been buried with their owner. 
Finally, a section of an Indian's back bone was un- 
earthed, and upon examination it was found that an 
arrow head had pierced the vertebra, just missing the 
spinal cord, and was wedged in like a nail driven into 
a board. The question might be asked : "How did the 
arrow head get into that Indian's back bone?" Evi- 
dently, because the Indian was on the retreat, and his 
enemy had shot him in the back. 

Where is the victorious life, when life is spent sim- 
ply in the humdrum of daily routine of selfish inter- 
ests ? No wonder people have an up-and-down experi- 
ence. No wonder they never get anywhere outside of 
the treadmill of life. God wants us to branch out and 
bless the world and be conquerors. In the Garden of 
Eden we read about the wonderful river that flowed 
through it and watered it ; but it was not self -centered 
nor self-contained ; it branched out. So it is in sancti- 
fied human experience today ; the Edenic stream of full 
salvation flows through the soul, but it does not stop 
there and center itself in the individual. The stream 
waters one's life and experience, but it flows out and 
on to bless others also. The Edenic stream started out 
as one stream, but the account tells us that it branched 



124 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

out into four streams and watered the world around. So 
it is with that soul who will let the Holy Ghost have 
His way with him. Out of his inmost being will flow 
rivers of living water. This four-fold Edenic stream 
went out in four directions, to the four quarters of the 
earth, so to speak. Four is the human number of the 
Bible, and when one gets the Holy Ghost, he is expect- 
ed to branch out to the people everywhere and water 
the world with the precious water of life. Holiness 
is not self-centered. It consists of two elements — 
purity and power. If one has the thought of purity 
alone when he seeks the blessing, he has a one-sided 
idea of it. There is a power side which enables the 
possessor to conquer. Purity for the individual, and 
power for the world ; or in other words, power for ag- 
gressive warfare. 

Whoever became a conqueror that stayed always in 
one little, beaten path? The world is so big, the possi- 
bilities are so great, and the grace of God so bound- 
less, that it looks as if we all ought to set our stakes 
for bigger results in the Christian life. One day we 
were passing along a street in a certain city and ob- 
served a gentleman constructing a very peculiar piece 
of frame work, and our curiosity was so aroused that 
we went over and asked him what he was building. 
He answered, "I am building a razzle-dazzle." He 
then explained what that was. He said that a razzle- 
dazzle was something like a merry-go-round, except 
that as it went round and round it also went up and 
down. We thought how many people in their so-called 



PALM BRANCH IS SYMBOL OF VICTORY 125 

Christian life are riding the razzle-dazzle. They 
want to be going and moving, but they are going 
round and round, and not only that, they are going up 
and down, up and down, and never getting anywhere 
in their experience. Now, we never were much in favor 
of running off on tangents, but in this case we think 
it would be very advantageous to strike a tangent 
and take a bee-line for Canaan. 

Many are hindered in their victorious life by the 
"little foxes which spoil the vines." Their spiritual 
wall which surrounds them seems to admit so many 
of the aggravating cares, that they find themselves 
frequently overcome thereby. "Salvation, will God 
appoint for walls and bulwarks" (Isa. 26:1). "But 
thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates 
Praise" (Isa. 60:18). When we remember that "God 
is our salvation," and "Our God is a consuming fire," 
and this God, the consuming fire, is the wall of salva- 
tion around us, we believe the wall is so high that the 
devil's little foxes can not jump over it; so thick they 
can not bore through it, and so deep they can not dig 
under it. This is surely a blessed protection for those 
on the inside. But the promised protection of God is 
still more. He will insphere His trusting child and 
make him doubly safe, and make his surrounding sim- 
ply glorious. Notice the divine insphering: "As the' 
mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is 
round about his people from henceforth even forever" 
(Psalm 125:2). Here is the Lord all around us. 
"Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" 



126 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

(Psa. 16:8). The Lord is by our side. "Underneath 
are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33 : 27). The Lord is 
beneath us. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of 
the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Al- 
mighty" (Psalm 91:1). The Lord is over us. And 
we are also taught that we may abide in Him and He 
will abide in us. Think of this marvelous protection : 
the Lord all around us, by our side, underneath us, over 
us, in us and we in Him. Then shall we allow the 
trifling things of earth to conquer us and spoil our 
experience? How often we hear one say words like 
this: "I wouldn't give up my experience for all the 
world," and then possibly in an unguarded moment go 
down over something not worth a quarter. We once 
heard of a sailor that had braved the sea and storms 
for years, and finally got drowned in a bucket of water. 
While drinking he had some fit or accident which 
caused him so to fall, that his face was buried in the 
water and he was strangled to death. Be careful of 
the little things; they are sometimes more dangerous 
than the bigger ones. A brother was once accosted by 
one of the Lord's workers and asked how he was get- 
ting along in his Christian experience. He replied that 
he got along very well usually through the day, but 
when he went home from his work in the evening, his 
wife nagged at him so much that he invariably lost 
out. He would be blessed along through the day, but 
when that nagging spirit of his wife got started, even 
though he would hold out for some time and keep the 
victory, yet as sure as he would open his mouth, the 



PALM BRANCH IS SYMBOL OF VICTORY 127 

victory was gone. He told the worker that he had an 
experience like a pelican. He then described how the 
pelican would start out in the morning and load up its 
big pouch with fish, and then in the evening it would 
start for home, whereupon the little birds would get 
after it and peck it first on one side of the bill and then 
on the other, till the poor pelican would throw its head 
around from one side to the other, and finally its 
mouth would fly open and out would go the fish, which 
was just what the birds w r ere after. He said he had a 
pelican experience; that he w r ould get along well 
through the day, but the constant annoyance of the 
wife in the evening would finally cause him to open 
his mouth, and away would go his victory. Many a 
blessing has been lost, simply by opening the mouth. 
It is much harder sometimes to keep the mouth shut 
than to open it. "So he openeth not His mouth," was 
the attitude of Him who was our example. 



CHAPTEK XVII 

THE PALM TREE WILL NOT ADMIT 
OF GRAFTING 

For many years the process of grafting has been 
known and practiced by horticulturists. This is ac- 
complished by taking a scion, usually of the previous 
year's growth, from a shrub or tree, and inserting it 
into another shrub or tree more or less closely related 
to the first. It must be so inserted that the cambium 
layer of the scion, that is, the layer of formative tissue 
between the bark and natural wood, is closely united 
to that of the stock. In time, these two parts grow to- 
gether into a perfect union. The scion thus inserted 
will derive its life and strength from the original root 
and stock, but will bear its fruit according to the na- 
ture of the scion. 

When we come to the palm tree, we find something 
that is opposed to this method and will not respond. It 
will not yield to any mixture. It has not the qualifica- 
tions that admit of grafting processes. It can neither 
be grafted in with any other tree, nor can any other 
tree be united with the palm. It will not mix. It is 
an endogenous tree, and the cambium layer does not 
obtain. It has no joining tissue that can be thus united 
with any other plant. 

Did the Omniscient Inspirer of the Word make any 

128 



WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING 129 

mistake when He said, "The righteous shall flourish 
like the palm tree"? 

The Word of God is diametrically opposed to un- 
holy mixtures. Hear the word of the Lord in Deut. 
22 : 9-11 : "Thou shalt not sow thy vineyaird with 
divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou 
hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. 
Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. 
Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of 
woolen and linen together." 

Who has not seen the evil effects of mixing the 
planting of various seeds together, such as melons and 
pumpkins, or other incompatible varieties? Why not 
yoke an ox and an ass together? They are neither 
mated in size, breed or disposition. It makes a lop- 
sided pair. One is classed with the clean animals, 
and another with the unclean. We once saw an Ori- 
ental picture in the back part of a Bible where some 
native was plowing with an ox and an ass together, and 
they had the appearance of being ashamed of them- 
selves. It looked as if the poor plowman would have 
a hard job to get any work out of the pair. 

But why not the mixed garment, of woolen and 
linen? "They shall be clothed with linen garments, 
and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister 
in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall 
have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have lin- 
en breeches upon their loins ; they shall not gird them- 
selves with any thing that causeth sweat" (Eze. 44: 
17, 18). God did not want them to chafe and sweat in 



130 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

performing their religious service; hence, the prohi- 
bition of the mixture in garments. 

In this we find a beautiful lesson for spiritual ex- 
perience. We have too much of the linsey-woolsey type 
of religion in our day. How God must abhor unholy 
mixing up ! 

In this three-fold prohibition we see the three sides 
of religion. Pure religion consists of three things: 
doctrine, service, and experience. First, they were not 
to mix the seed. What does seed typify? Bead the 
parable of the sower in the eighth chapter of Luke. 
"The seed is the word of God." Here we have the 
thought: it is the doctrine of God. One part of re- 
ligion is doctrine, and we must not be mixed in this 
respect. When the Bible speaks of that teaching which 
comes from God, it is put in the singular and called 
"doctrine." When it comes from men or devils it is 
called "doctrines." God's doctrine is one; men and 
devils' are many. Paul admonished Timothy to take 
heed unto the doctrine. In Paul's time, and in the 
times of the early fathers, heresy abounded. In our own 
time, Christendom is rent with heresy. Unscriptural 
doctrine obtains everywhere. IJniversalism proclaims 
the mercy of God reaching "from everlasting to ever- 
lasting." So, in the ultimate outcome, all, because 
Christ died for all, will be housed safely, in spite of 
a Christ-rejecting life. Unitarianism, as the name sug- 
gests, believes in one God; hence, rejects the deity of 
Jesus Christ, and being Universalists also in belief, 
they are all going to get in by the example of the 



WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING 131 

Savior. While the TJniversalist believes that God 
is too good to damn him, the Unitarian believes that 
he is too good to be damned. Then comes along the 
soul-sleeper, who mixes with his doctrine the heresy 
of no conscious existence after death till the resur- 
rection, and the utter annihilation of the wicked fol- 
lowing the judgment, all of which is in direct opposi- 
tion to the plain teaching of the Word. Mormonism 
comes in with its deluded adherents, and claims a new 
revelation in the Book of Mormon, and repudiates 
hell, flaunts its mantel of polygamous fornication over 
its dupes, and gives the world a mixture indeed. Chris- 
tian Science, the greatest misnomer in modern par- 
lance, foists its counterfeit religious currency over our 
fair land and makes the unwary deny the existence of 
sin, death, devil, and the real personality of God 
himself. The blood atonement of our Savior is ob- 
noxious to them, and hell is not in their creed. Surely 
theirs is a mixed seed, with scarcely any real truth. 
Then springs up the ignis- fatuus fallacy of Russellism 
with its promised "Millennial Dawn," spreading out 
the "Plan of the Ages" so that its deceived votaries dis- 
count the deity of Christ until His resurrection. They 
claim that His body was not resurrected, but may have 
passed off into gases; that one is not born again till 
he is resurrected; that hell is a farce; that the world 
will have a further chance of being saved after death. 
Not content with these forces, the disseminator of 
mixed seeds raises up a regiment of Higher Critics, 
who, with their Jehoiakim pen knives, have cut and 



132 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

slashed the blessed, inspired Word of God till it is be- 
yond recognition as it comes from their hands. To fol- 
low their vandalism is to get into the meshes of mys- 
ticism and doubt, and wonder what part, if any, is to 
be relied upon as actual inspiration. Then we have 
the "New Thought," and the "New Theology," and the 
"Aquarian Gospel," and their name is Legion, the 
"isms" that are foisted upon gullible humanity in these 
latter days. Occasionally one pokes up his person- 
ality above the horizon and declares himself Jesus 
Christ, when, lo, and behold a following ! Sad indeed 
is it that so many people and many good people, have 
been beguiled into the unscriptural teaching couched 
in the creed of the so-called "Tongues Movement." 
When it first claimed the attention of the Christian 
world their theory was first, justification, in which all 
sins were forgiven ; then following this experience came 
sanctification, which involved the cleansing of the heart 
from all inbred sin ; following this definite work, comes 
the baptism with the Holy Ghost, accompanying which 
is the speaking in tongues as an evidence of said bap- 
tism. No one must rest satisfied that he has received 
his Pentecost till he has spoken in tongues. Then the 
factions began to arise. Leaders opposed each other, 
and all spoke in tongues as claimed. Their creed be- 
gan to change, and now one of the leading factions of 
the movement ridicules the thought of sanctification as 
a second work of grace, and declares, that while sanc- 
tification does come in, yet all the cleansing one gets 
is in the first work when pardon takes place; that is, 



WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING 133 

all inbred sin is then eradicated from the heart. They 
still hold to the baptism with the Holy Ghost and 
speaking in tongues. Many of the good people of the 
land have been caught in this theological mix-up, and 
have dropped out of the old-time holiness ranks. What 
does it all signify? It signifies a mixing of seed — a 
mixing of doctrine. The theocracy of the Old Testa- 
ment forbade it in the literal, and the inspired Word 
also forbids it in the spiritual, in the present dispensa- 
tion. 

A person who is mixed in his doctrine is a danger- 
ous element in the community. His work is not to 
settle, root and ground others in the faith, but rather 
to unsettle them. "A heretic after the first and second 
admonition, reject." Has it ever occurred to the reader 
that heresy is one of the works of the flesh, or carnal 
mind ? Read it in Gal. 5 : 20. The Conservator of 
orthodoxy is the Holy Ghost in a purified heart. Out- 
side of that, where is the hope of preserving inviolate 
the purity of the doctrine of God? Let me illustrate 
how this works. There enters an intelligent, so-called 
expounder of the truth, into a pulpit, and he proceeds 
to teach the people. There sits in the congregation one 
with a purified heart, in whom dwells the Holy Ghost, 
the Author of the inspired Word. As this ingenious 
mixer of seed throws out some good truth, he adroitly 
mixes into it his heresy, and makes it so plausible, that, 
if possible, it would deceive the very elect. His argu- 
ments are so clear, and he uses the Scriptures so well 
to prove his statements, that even to the minds of the 



134 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

most spiritual, it seems that he has made the points 
scripturally plain. The head responds and says, "It 
looks that way," but the Holy Ghost dwelling in that 
purified heart causes a shrinking. The soul closes in, 
and the listener says, "I do not feel right somehow. I 
am not comfortable." What is the matter? It is the 
blessed Conservator of orthodoxy, the Preserver of the 
purity of the Word of God operating in that heart to 
hinder it from accepting heresy. But here sits an- 
other who has not been so fortunate as to have the 
element of inbred sin purged from the heart; hence, 
has not the abiding fulness of the Holy Spirit 
in the heart. The speaker appeals to him in the same 
way he did to the other. The head nods assent, for he 
certainly makes it plain. But he has that in his heart 
from which heresy springs, and so the heresy from this 
man appeals to its kindred spirit in the listener, and 
the result is, it is swallowed down, the poison has done 
its work, and another victim is numbered. O, reader, 
is it of small import that we should be filled with the 
Holy Ghost, and thus have our spiritual Protector 
always guarding us from poisonous seed? We would 
not want to take the stand that this is the infallible 
rule with all people, but we do certainly believe that 
this is the secret of some remaining firm and immovable 
in doctrine, while others are swept from their moor- 
ings. 

The next department of religion we wish to notice 
in connection with wrong mixtures is that of service. 
The ox and the ass were not to be yoked together. 



i 



WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING 135 

This signifies service. Service constitutes a large por- 
tion of our religion. Without proper service to God 
we could not hope to continue in the grace of God. 
Certainly it stands one in hand to know what kind of 
service he should engage in. 

The world and the religion of Jesus Christ were 
never calculated to mix. It is the unholy mixtures all 
down the ages that have brought the stigma upon the 
church of God. It always causes trouble. "And the 
mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: 
and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, 
Who shall give us flesh to eat?" The children of Is- 
rael fell into line with the murmurings of the mix- 
ture they had on hand. God's plan has always been 
for His people to be separated people. That is the 
reason He took them out of Egypt. He warned them 
before they ever got to Canaan, that they must re- 
main separated from the inhabitants of the land. They 
were not to intermarry ; they were not to mix. When 
Balaam utterly failed to curse the children of Israel 
for Balak's sake, because the Lord would not let him, 
yet on his departure he told Balak how he could suc- 
ceed anyway. He told him to mix up with the chil- 
dren of Israel in an unholy and abominable alliance. 
He did so and brought the curse and plague of God up- 
on Israel, and thousands were slain thereby. When Ne- 
hemiah was sent to rebuild Jerusalem, he found a ter- 
rible state of affairs had arisen by the intermarriage of 
the Jews with the women of Ashdod, Ammon and Mo- 
ab. There were a lot of little half breeds running 



136 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

around that could not talk the Jews' language. So 
Nehemiah had a great cleaning up time on his hands. 

God has called His church to stand out clean and 
spotless from the world. What a power she would 
have been had she always taken the separated, clean 
way ! But how sad to see those who profess to be fol- 
lowers of the meek and lowly Nazarene, courting the 
world and mixing with them in their pleasures, pride, 
popularity, and polluted politics! 

One of the saddest things to behold today is the 
reckless transgression of that plain command, "Be ye 
not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." See 
the unhappy homes everywhere, because Christians did 
not counsel God and His Word in taking a life-partner. 
O, the anguish, and heartaches, and backslidings, be- 
cause the plain Word was not followed ! There was a 
certain Christian lady, who neglected to follow the 
Guide Book in this important step, and right soon after 
the marriage she knelt down to offer a little prayer to 
God, and His voice was heard clear and distinct: "Be 
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." It 
was too late now to remedy the affair, but the same 
word was in the Book before she got into trouble. For 
thirty years this lady wandered on in darkness there- 
after and never heard the voice of God, till in mercy 
she was brought back to saving grace. 

How many there are who take upon them the name 
of Jesus Christ and yet are mixed up in secret societies 
and labor unions. Let the world have these institu- 
tions if they want, for they are simply worldly. Their 



WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING 137 

methods and practices and pleasures are not conducive 
to spiritual life. It is a wrong mixture. "Come out 
from among them and be ye separate." 

Let me not pass by another mixing which does not 
have the blessing of God upon it. It is that of partner- 
ship in business with the unsaved. How many of God's 
people have found themselves in serious difficulty on 
account of unscriptural business partnership. More 
than once God has had to force the alternative upon 
one of His children to buy out or sell out ; that he could 
not continue in such alliance to the glory of God. We 
have been astonished and grieved at the careless and 
reckless way so many professing Christians, yea, holi- 
ness people have disregarded this command of separa- 
tion, and allowed themselves to be drawn into stock 
companies with the unsaved. Is it not an unequal yok- 
ing together? Shall we take God's money, and put it 
in the control of the world? No wonder so many who 
have been so fortunate as to possess a little of this 
world's goods have suddenly found their money taking 
wings and flying away. Had they counseled God in 
the business, they would not have been beguiled into 
the unequal yoking with unbelievers. Let us not think 
we can fly in the face of the plain word of God and 
take matters in our own hands with impunity. 

Neither should we yoke up in church fellowship 
with those who are not saved. We would not take the 
stand, that perchance some might not be taking the 
track, that it should bar us from church membership, 
but when the mass of members are not obeying God, 



138 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

and are opposed to holiness, and are worldly in their 
trend, it is no place for one who wishes to be spiritual 
and keep blessed. How long will it be if one mixes in 
with such a crowd till he will be like them? We once 
were passing through the state of Colorado and saw 
from the car window a beautiful, clear stream of water 
join in with another stream that was dark and muddy. 
How long did it take the crystal stream to become mud- 
dy like the other? It certainly did not clarify the 
muddy current, but the muddy current mixed right 
into it and all became impure. 

Poor Ephraim ought to stand out as a warning to 
those who think they can mix with the world with 
impunity. Hear the Word on his case : "Ephraim, he 
hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a 
cake not turned." Poor, unturned cake. He had mixed 
so much among the people that he did not have fire 
enough to bake him on both sides; it did not pay to 
turn him over. What is an unbaked cake good for? 
It is so sticky that it will adhere to most anything. 
Ephraim adhered to this people and that, and met with 
sad failure. Sticky, soggy, heavy, indigestible, unpal- 
atable! Who wants it? "Hot cakes" is the call, and 
not cold, unturned ones. 

The next department of religion we wish to notice 
is that of experience. Here we have the prohibition 
of the linen and woolen garment mixed. What is closer 
to a person than his garments ? God has seen fit to ex- 
press salvation under the fitting emblem of garments. 
"For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Rev. 



WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING 139 

19:8). "These are they which came out of great trib- 
ulation, and have washed their robes, and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7 : 14). "Let thy 
garments be always white, and let thy head lack no 
ointment" (Eccl. 9:8). "Put on thy beautiful gar- 
ments, O Jerusalem" (Isa. 52 : 1). "He hath clothed me 
with the garments of salvation; He hath covered me 
with the robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61 : 10). We have 
given these beautiful Scriptures to show that garments 
are used to symbolize Christian experience. Now, as 
the garment is the closest thing that comes to a per- 
son, so one's experience is the closest thing in his re- 
ligion. It certainly gets up close to a man. God for- 
bade under the theocracy the wearing of linen and 
woolen garments mixed. This mixture causes chafing 
and sweat and hardship that He wanted avoided in 
their religion. But in this present day we find, alas, 
to frequently a linsey-woolsey religion. 

Let us carry out the figure. Linen is the pure, 
clean, vegetable creation, and is used to signify the 
righteousness of the saints. Wool is the product of the 
animal, and is carnal; hence, signifies the carnal ele- 
ment in one's experience. This carnal element some- 
times called the flesh, obtains in every Christian's heart 
until he obtains the baptism with the Holy Ghost, 
wherein his heart is thus made pure. 

"Neither shall a garment mingled of linen and 
woolen come upon thee" (Lev. 19: 19). As the Word 
of God was against the garment of this mixture, so 
that experience today that is allowed to remain in the 



140 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

heart whereby there is righteousness and carnality 
dwelling together is forbidden. There must not re- 
main carnality where grace has taken up its abode. 
There will be spiritual sweating and chafing, and one's 
religion will be hindered and thwarted, and in all 
probability there will be failure in the end. As it was 
scientifically incompatible, the mixing of linen and 
woolen together for a garment, so it is spiritually in- 
compatible, the mixing of righteousness and 'carnality 
in the same heart. There is always more or less chafing 
and hardships and discouragements. "For the flesh 
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the 
flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so 
that ye can not do the things that ye would" (Gal. 5: 
17). Thank God, in the economy of grace there is pro- 
vided an elimination of the carnal element of one's ex- 
perience, leaving the pure, clean linen of righteousness. 
Then the chafing, and galling, and spiritual perspira- 
tion, working against carnal odds, will cease. 

Now for a word of application. "The righteous 
shall flourish like the palm tree" in preclusion of unit- 
ing or mixing with others. There is something in the 
very nature of the palm that precludes the graft, or in- 
termixing. There is something in the spiritual make- 
up of the holy, palm tree saints that have no fellowship 
with the unfruitful works of darkness. They are a 
class by themselves. They will not mix their religion 
with the world. In doctrine they are clean, true, clear, 
and scriptural. They are holding to the old landmarks 
which their fathers have set. They are not running 



WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING 141 

after the new fads under the guise of religion. They 
are settled, rooted and grounded in the truth. In serv- 
ice they are separate from the world. They are not 
mixing with the fun, frolic and general pastime and 
pleasure of the worldly element. They scrupulously 
adhere to the admonition to "come out from among 
them" and not to be unequally yoked together in any 
way. In experience, they have no admixture of the 
carnal and spiritual elements. They have had their 
hearts cleansed from all sin, and are really clothed with 
the pure, spotless garment of salvation. They lack 
that cambium layer of formative tissue that unites 
them to any other stock. Of course the world hates 
them for standing out against them and failing to 
unite. The worldly-minded church members steer clear 
of them, for these members retain a formative tissue 
that will admit of joining with the world and allowing 
the world to join with them; but the palm tree saints 
stand aloof ; they do not mix. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
ITS ADAPTION TO WARM CLIMATES 

Our God is the God of nature as well as of grace. 
Trees thrive best when in the sphere that nature in- 
tended them. The palm tree is especially a hot cli- 
mate tree, and when taken out of its proper place it 
stands to reason that it will succumb. It can not stand 
the cold. It was not made that way. It matters not 
how hot the place may be, even in the broiling sun of 
the desert, it will thrive. But place it in the cold re- 
gions, and death will inevitably be the result. 

The palm tree saint has this same characteristic in 
the spiritual realm. A red hot meeting is his delight. 
His very nature calls out for the fire which burns in 
meetings where God has His way. The warmer the 
meetings the better he likes them, and the better he 
thrives. He can not stand the cold. God did not make 
him to stand cold meetings, and so he is not responsible 
for it. Cold meetings seem to chill him to the marrow. 
And should he providentially be placed in such a 
sphere, he would feel that he must do something to 
start the circulation or he would soon be frozen to 
death. Why do not more people have the wisdom of 
those in cold climates? To illustrate: A man starts 
out on a load of wood to take it to the market several 

142 



ITS ADAPTION TO WARM CLIMATES 143 

miles away. The thermometer is many degrees below 
zero. A friend meets him in the way and informs him 
that he saw him nodding as he came down the road; 
that his nose is white and that frost has gathered on 
his ej^ebrows. The poor man still has sense enough 
left to see his danger, and he at once jumps off the load 
and begins to kick his toes against the sled, and swing 
his arms around his body in that peculiar, cold-climate 
style to warm himself. After a most heroic effort he 
finds himself thoroughly awake, and the warm blood 
again coursing through his veins, and he says to him- 
self, "I will not allow that to happen again." 

How often have we seen an iceberg in the pulpit, 
icicles in the pews, and polar breezes sweeping through 
the place ! Surely, to live in that climate long would 
be to freeze to death. One would have to make a tre- 
mendous stir if he hoped to keep up circulation in such 
a place. And should the stir be made, there would be a 
hue and cry of fanaticism, wild fire, crazy, or such like. 
But the Holy Ghost never intended Christians to live 
in such an element. He never intended palm tree saints 
to live in refrigerators. One may ask if refrigerators 
are not good for something. Surely, they are. One 
can preserve a dead chicken well in one of them, but 
put a live chicken in and it will soon chill and die. The 
idea of thinking that a lot of little, new-born babes 
could live and thrive in church refrigerators ! No, they 
must have warmth. It is their nature, and when one 
goes contrary to nature, bad results will surely follow. 
Thank God there is a warm climate for those who must 



144 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

have it. Let us see to it that we live under the warm 
rays of the Sun of righteousness, and in an element 
conducive to spiritual growth and health. 

There is a mistaken idea abroad concerning unity. 
Because there is no outward eruption, and because 
things seem to run smooth, they take it for granted 
that there is oneness. There is such a thing as being 
frozen together instead of melted together. Jesus 
prayed for His disciples that they might be sanctified, 
that they all might be one. It is the sanctifying bap- 
tism with the Holy Ghost and fire that makes people 
one in the proper and scriptural sense. If one had any 
fire in which to keep warm, and should attempt to live 
in some frozen regions, they would soon cool him off, 
and he would be frozen together with them. The story 
is told of an eagle floating down the Niagara river on 
a cake of ice. He was enjoying a feast on a lamb which 
was frozen to the ice. After a while the eagle neared 
the falls, but he was not afraid, because he could fly. 
Finally, as the water got swifter, the eagle was seen to 
spread his wings and prepare for the escape. When he 
saw that he could remain no longer with impunity, he 
attempted to spring from the ice, when, lo and behold, 
he found himself frozen to the cake of ice. With an 
awful screech and wings flapping he went over the 
falls to destruction. May the Lord save us from too 
much self-confidence and from remaining where death 
and destruction are inevitable, and where freezing and 
falling go together. 

Quite a number of years ago the writer and another 



ITS ADAPTION TO WAJBM CLIMATES 145 

evangelist were invited to a certain church in New 
Orleans for revival services. A certain, noted evangel- 
ist had formerly served in that church as pastor, and 
great good had resulted from his ministry. The pas- 
tor at this time stated in his invitation to us, that 
should we accept it, it must be with the understanding 
that we were not to preach holiness as a second work 
of grace; that the church had previously undergone 
quite an upheaval on that line, but now things had 
quieted down, and peace was now reigning instead. It 
might be of some interest to know if we accepted his 
invitation. Our answer was about on this line: "We 
thank you for your invitation to assist in meetings in 
your church, but inasmuch as you have placed an em- 
bargo on the stream of holiness as a second work of 
grace, which is the only way any one ever received it, 
we feel if we should accept the invitation under such 
conditions, we would be selling Jesus Christ at a less 
figure than Judas got for Him. And furthermore, may 
not that peace and quietude of which you speak relative 
to the church, be the quietude of the graveyard in- 
stead of a live church ?" Suffice it to say, we did not re- 
ceive any further invitation. 

It is a very easy thing to compromise both as 
preachers and laymen, and accommodate ourselves to 
cooled off environments, till we are a very part of the 
thing ourselves. As long as God has provided a warm 
home for His sheep and lambs, let us see to it that we 
have the benefit of the same. Amen ! 



CHAPTER XIX 

PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 

We are told in Titus 2 : 14, that pilgrims are a pe- 
culiar people. They have characteristics exclusively 
their own. They belong wholly to the Lord, and are 
unlike other people. To the world they appear singu- 
lar, strange. 

These people are peculiar in the source of their en- 
joyment, in their conversation, in their dress, and in 
other ways which differentiate them from the world. 
One saint may have a peculiarity which is not in any 
other. He may have a peculiar way in manifesting 
his emotions when he gets blessed, or in some striking 
manner of speech, or sphere of service, or mode of 
dress. So it is with different varieties of the palm. 
Some have peculiar characteristics which indeed belong 
only to their species, and some are strikingly curious. 
The Christian life is illustrated so plainly by some of 
these, that we will note a few. 

I. THE EXPLOSIVE FLOWER 

There is a certain palm which buds out in enormous 
clusters. It is said that "The flowers occur in an 
enormous cluster, at first ensheathed by large and fre- 
quently wooden spathes, which often burst with an 

explosion." Much fault has been found with some 

146 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 147 

of God's palm tree saints because they have a peculiar- 
ity akin to this. To hinder this explosive emotion in 
them might hinder their spiritual life itself. For them 
to quench the Spirit, would be to thwart the plan and 
purpose of God himself. Many a precious soul has 
been tempted and tried because they seem to be put up 
different from some others. They have wished to be 
more quiet, and have wondered why they have to 
shout so much. Some always have a gush of tears and 
have gone so far as to ask the Lord to dry their tears, 
and when the Lord answered their prayer, they invar- 
iably were made lean, and prayed again for Him to 
open the fountain. On whatever plain of peculiar dis- 
position we may be built, let us thank God for it and let 
the Holy Ghost have His way in all the minutia of 
life. All people do not shout, and all do not laugh, but 
all get blessed if the Lord has His way. We must not 
be tried over those whose blessings do not fall within 
our desired method, nor should we be discouraged be- 
cause the manifestations of the Spirit within us are 
not exactly like some others whom we admire. 

"The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every 
man to profit withal." The emotions which follow 
these operations of the Spirit vary according to the 
peculiar makeup of the individual. If there were a 
row of various combustibles, such as shavings, salt, 
powder, gasoline, etc., and fire were put to each one 
of them, there would be manifestations according to 
their various characteristics. The shavings would 
quietly blaze up, the salt would flicker, the powder 



148 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

would blow up and that would be the end of it while 
the gasoline would blaze all over and keep on till all 
was burned. So, when the fire of the Holy Ghost is 
turned loose on a lot of consecrated saints, the manifes- 
tations of the Spirit will vary according to the pe- 
culiar characteristic of the spiritual material on hand. 
When all do the same thing it might be an evidence 
of custom or training, and not of the Spirit's manifes- 
tation, for God does not confine Himself in ruts. What 
could be more stirring, and conducive to conviction 
than a body of fire-baptized souls under the control of 
the Holy Ghost, some shouting, some laughing, some 
crying, and some leaping and dancing, while others 
might be praying or exhorting; all letting the Spirit 
work through them severally as He will. Such scenes 
never fail to produce conviction upon an audience. 
The altar is frequently filled with weeping penitents 
after such a scene. 

Yes, in nature we have the explosive element in the 
palm; so in grace we have the bursting forth of holy 
emotions, the upgush of heavenly raptures, and as a 
help and forewarning the Word tells us, "Quench not 
the Spirit." 

When a soul swings loose in the Spirit and becomes 
so free as to shout, or laugh, or jump for joy, it is rea- 
sonable to suppose that it is the mind of the Spirit 
for that soul to retain his freedom, not allowing him- 
self to be tied up so that such demonstrations could 
not be duplicated should God so desire. Alas, how 
many have failed right here ! We have noted the free- 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 149 

dom of a new, Spirit-filled soul. How the peculiar 
manifestation of the Spirit blest the meeting, and the 
"profit withal" was apparent. Later on we have ob- 
served how the Holy Spirit tried to duplicate the free- 
dom and blessing, but the dear soul felt timid or back- 
ward and simply failed to keep abandoned to God. 
The inevitable result was, that the heart closed up, 
the Spirit was grieved, and dryness and leanness were 
the result. Let no one dare say, "I am abandoned to 
the Holy Ghost" and then not let Him have His way 
with him in every particular. To be consecrated means 
more than simply saying it. If some one should place 
a thousand dollars on deposit in my name in some bank 
and hand me over the bank book, telling me it all be- 
longed to me, and for me to draw upon it for any pur- 
pose up to the amount of the deposit, I would certainly 
feel free to do with it as I pleased without any fear 
of his interference. If I wanted five dollars for gro- 
ceries, I could draw on the deposit. If I wanted fifty 
dollars for misionary work, it is on deposit. It is 
all mine; I can handle it as I please. Consecration is 
putting our all — body, soul, and spirit, time, talent, 
earthly store, family, future, service, all we have and 
know, and all we do not know into heaven's bank on de- 
posit and then handing the bank book over to the Holy 
Ghost, saying, "Draw on the deposit for anything 
which Thou in Thy infinite wisdom desirest." Be 
sure, then, that the Holy Ghost will take us at our 
word. When He makes a draw for some particular 
demonstration such as shouting, or taking a trip down 



150 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

the aisle, or laughing, or crying, remember He con- 
trols the deposit and has a right to do as He pleases 
with what has been turned over to Him. If our time 
is placed in His hands He has a right to direct it. 
If our money is placed at His disposal, we must let 
Him say in what channels it shall be used. It means 
.much to say, "I am all the Lord's." 

II. THE LIVING SACRIFICE 

The Coquito palm of Chile is a tree about fifty feet 
in height, with a spreading crown of leaves. From its 
trunk a syrup is obtained called miel de palma, which 
is much esteemed by the Chileans and foreigners in 
cookery. This syrup is obtained by cutting down the 
tree, and lopping off its crown of leaves, when the sap 
flows from the wound, and is carefully collected. By 
cutting off a fresh slice from the wound daily, or when 
the flow of sap becomes weak, it may be kept flowing 
for several months. A good tree is said to yield as 
much as ninety gallons of sap, which on being boiled 
down assumes the consistence of treacle or molasses. 

Here we have a beautiful and fitting illustration 
of the daily and living sacrifice of a palm tree saint. 
If the righteous flourish like the palm tree, might it 
not be well to emulate this peculiar characteristic? 
When Paul admonished the Roman Christians to pre- 
sent their "bodies a living sacrifice," he did not mean 
for them simply to obtain the blessing of holiness and 
then stop and thereafter settle down and enjoy them- 
selves. He meant not only a sacrifice to be offered up 



PALM TBEE PECULIARITIES 151 

at the given time, but to remain offered up. Our sacri- 
fice is to remain a living sacrifice. The Christian life is 
one sacrificed to God's cause for the sake of glorifying 
God and being used in His service. The very word 
sacrifice means something offered up in devotion. Then 
if it is offered up to another, can we claim it as our 
own ? If we are to be like this peculiar palm, then we 
are ready to be "poured forth" as Paul said he was to 
the Philippians. Here is this sacrificed palm, with its 
very life poured out from day to day for the benefit 
of humanity. And this is kept up till there remains 
nothing but the trunk. O, what a symbol of the con- 
stant, daily outpouring of one's life and strength for 
the benefit of a lost world ! Look at David Brainerd, 
David Livingstone, Henry Martyn, yea, thousands of 
faithful men and women missionaries who have liter- 
ally poured out their lives, and died for their fellow 
men. 

The sacrifice element in the Christian life is fur- 
ther illustrated in another kind of palm known as the 
Cabbage palm. The terminal bud, or "cabbage," is 
enclosed among many thin, snow-white, brittle flakes. 
It has the flavor of the almond, but of greater sweet- 
ness, and is boiled and eaten with meat. As its removal 
causes the death of the tree, it is regarded as an ex- 
travagant delicacy only rarely to be enjoyed. 

Here we find the illustration of the martyr element 
of the palm tree saint. Paul said, "I am now ready to 
be offered." Stephen gave himself a living sacrifice 
to God, and right away lost his life. The martyrs 



152 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

are numbered by thousands. Is not this an extrava- 
gant method of spreading the gospel? It may be from 
a human standpoint, but God in His infinite wisdom 
can see beyond our shortsightedness, and permits such 
to be. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the 
church." If there were more persecution today there 
would doubtless be a better type of Christians. We 
should possess the martyr spirit. The word "witness" 
in the original is martyr. And surely many of those 
early Christians proved it. Every consecrated soul 
should involve in his consecration the possibility of 
losing his life for Jesus; then, if he ever faces the is- 
sue, he is prepared for it, and if he never has to face 
such an issue, he might consider it so much clear gain. 

III. THE FOREIGN MISSIONARY 

The peculiarity of a certain kind of palm, known as 
the Great Rattan is its wandering or traveling charac- 
teristic. The stems of this very peculiar variety are of 
prodigious length extending for hundreds of feet ; it is 
stated from twelve hundred to eighteen hundred feet, 
clinging by hooks attached to their leaves to the trunks 
and boughs of neighboring trees, or trailing on the 
ground. They are extremely hard externally and usu- 
ally smooth. 

Here we have a beautiful illustration of the mission- 
ary spirit. We are living in a day when many of 
God's dear palm tree saints are flourishing like this 
Great Rattan. They have the missionary spirit. They 
have those spiritual hooks attached to their experience 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 153 

which enable them to cling to others with a tenacity 
which is not human. They are endowed with a spirit- 
ual sturdiness which in truth enables them to "endure 
hardness as good soldiers." They cross mountains, 
deserts and oceans, and live among the heathen to win 
them to Christ. What we need in these days of self- 
ease and luxury is more of this Great Eattan move- 
ment. We need more pilgrims to foreign lands. If we 
are not called ourselves with this peculiar character- 
istic, then let us help those who are thus called. We 
can help them with our money and with our prayers. 

We all have a call to the foreign field in one sense : 
"Go ye into all the world." If God has let you off in per- 
son, then see to it that you have a part anyway in evan- 
gelizing the world. If I can not go, I can send. If I can 
not reach them by word of mouth, I can by way of the 
throne. If I can not preach and teach in the foreign 
land, I can pray and pay in the home land. Amen ! 

With the thought of the missionary and also of the 
living sacrifice before us, we have the perfect combin- 
ation of the two in the self-sacrificing experience of 
some of the early pioneers in the foreign lands. We, 
in the home lands, can scarcely realize the toils and 
hardships and dangers that some of these heroes of the 
cross waded through. We think of the dauntless Liv- 
ingstone, who penetrated Africa's jungles in order to 
plant the gospel in that benighted region. Lost to 
home and the world for years, no wonder people con- 
sidered him worth looking up, and sending a Stanley 
in search for him. But he was doing a work which 



154 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

would open up nations to hear the Word of life. 
Though he had to bury his loved one on the banks of 
the Zambesi, yet "with undaunted courage, he set his 
face towards new paths." How the natives loved this 
man — this living sacrifice. He was the means in God's 
hands of bringing them light for darkness, comfort 
for sorrow, life for death. He was the foe of the slave 
stealers, and delivered the poor helpless mortals from 
their grasp. He toiled on in solitude, and gave his very 
life to make a way to this dark and heathen world. 
Finally, far from the shore, and thousands of miles 
from home, he took sick. He was a man of prayer, and 
one morning when the native men looked into his 
abode, they found only the body of this devoted fol- 
lower of the Lamb ; he was dead on his knees. Those 
dusky, devoted souls determined to do the best they 
could in memory of their apostle, and knowing that 
his great, loving heart was centered in Africa, they 
took out his heart and buried it beneath a tree. They 
then let the hot sun dry the body and those loyal hands 
carried the remains many, many miles to the sea shore, 
where, what was left of the faithful missionary was 
shipped to England. And now, with the heart of 
David Livingstone in the middle of Africa, his body 
in Westminster Abbey, his soul in heaven, we have an 
example of the grace of God in helping a man to give 
up his life for a lost world. 

Let us take a glance at Henry Martyn. Leaving 
England as a young man in feeble health, for six years 
he worked against fearful odds in India. There in that 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 155 

disease-ladened land and in Persia he pursued his ar- 
duous task of learning three languages utterly adverse, 
such as Hindustani, Arabic, and Persian. In these 
three languages he translated the entire New Testa- 
ment in six years. This is one of the most astonishing 
of intellectual feats on record. Besides these transla- 
tions he made others and when we remember that he 
was burning up with consumptive's fever, and yet kept 
right on till, in order to perfect his translation in Per- 
sian, he made a trip to that country, and crossing 
burning, sand deserts with his own body literally burn- 
ing up with fever, he was surely a living sacrifice. His 
passionate love for the Savior and the souls of lost 
men, made him suffer on in weakness and sickness, un- 
til the short candle of his life consuming at both ends 
finally flickered out in that far away foreign land be- 
tween Persia and the western shore, and where a lone 
headstone marked the spot where one of God's sainted 
heroes lay down and died. How small it makes me feel 
as I write these lines ! 

Another example is that of David Brainerd, the 
apostle to the Indians before the colonies became inde- 
pendent. This young man, who died in his thirtieth 
year in the home of Jonathan Edwards, was one of 
those early pioneers of gospel work among the wild 
and pagan Indians. He was another living sacrifice, 
very feeble in body, dying by inches with consumption, 
yet toiled on without murmuring, and praying till his 
body would be bathed in perspiration, he battled almost 
against hope till finally God gave him marvelous sue- 



156 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

cess among those benighted savages. A few lines from 
the journal of this marvelous man of prayer may stir 
up more of a spirit of prayer and self-sacrifice in the 
reader : 

" June 14, 1742. 

"I set apart this day for secret fasting and prayer, 
to entreat God to direct and bless me with regard to 
the great work which I have in view, of preaching the 
gospel — and that the Lord would return to me and 
show me the light of His countenance. Had little life 
and power in the forenoon. Near the middle of the 
afternoon, God enabled me to wrestle ardently in in- 
tercession for my friends. But just at night the Lord 
visited me marvelously in prayer. I think my soul 
never was in such an agony before. I felt no restraint ; 
for the treasures of divine grace were opened to me. 
I wrestled for absent friends, for the ingathering of 
souls, for multitudes of poor souls, and for many that 
I thought were the children of God, personally, in 
many distant places. I was in such an agony from sun 
half an hour high, till near dark, that I was all over 
wet with sweat; but yet it seemed to me that I had 
wasted the day and done nothing. Oh, my dear Savior 
did sweat blood for poor souls! I longed for more 
compassion towards them. Felt still in a sweet frame, 
under a sense of divine love and grace, and went to bed 
in such a frame, with my heart set on God. 

"April 30, 1743. 

"The presence of God is what I want. I live in the 
most lonely, melancholy desert, about eighteen miles 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 157 

from Albany ; for it was not thought best that I should 
go to Deleware river. I board with a poor Scotchman. 
His wife can talk scarce any English. My diet consists 
mostly of hasty pudding, boiled corn, and bread baked 
in the ashes, and sometimes a little meat and but- 
ter. My lodging is a little heap of straw, laid upon 
some boards a little way from the ground; for it is a 
log room, without any floor, that I lodge in. My work 
is exceedingly hard and difficult. I travel on foot a 
mile and a half, the worst of ways, almost daily, and 
back again ; for I live so far from my Indians. I have 
not seen an English person in this month. These, and 
many other circumstances, equally uncomfortable, at- 
tend me. The Lord grant that I may learn to 'endure 
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.' 

"August 15, 1743. 

"Spent most of the day in labor to procure some- 
thing to keep my horse on in the winter. Enjoyed not 
much sweetness in the morning ; was very weak in body 
through the day, and thought that this frail body 
would soon drop into the dust, and had some very 
realizing apprehensions of a speedy entrance into an- 
other world. In this weak state of body, I was not a 
little distressed for want of suitable food. I had no 
bread, nor could I get any. I am forced to go or send 
ten or fifteen miles for all the bread I eat; and some- 
times it is mouldy and sour before I eat it, if I get any 
considerable quantity. And then again I have none 
for some days together, for want of an opportunity to 
send for it, and can not find my horse in the woods to 



158 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

go myself; and this was my case today. But through 
divine goodness I had some Indian meal, of which I 
made little cakes, and fried them. Yet I felt contented 
with my circumstances, and sweetly resigned to God. 
In prayer I enjoyed great freedom, and blessed God 
as much for my present circumstances, as if I had 
been a king; and thought that I found a disposition 
to be contented in any circumstances. Blessed be God ! 

"January 23, 1744. 

"I think I never felt more resigned to God, nor so 
dead to the world, in every respect, as now. Am dead 
to all desire of reputation and greatness, either in life 
or after death. All I long for is to be holy, humble, and 
crucified to the world. 

"March 2, 1744. 

"Was most of the day employed in writing on a di- 
vine subject. Was frequent in prayer and enjoyed some 
small degree of assistance. But in the evening God 
was pleased to grant me divine sweetness in prayer 
especially in the duty of intercession. I think I never 
felt so much kindness and love to those who, I have 
reason to think, are my enemies — though at that time 
I found such a disposition to think the best of all, that 
I scarce knew how to think that any such thing as 
enmity and hatred lodged in any soul. It seemed 
that all the world must needs be friends. I 
never prayed with more freedom and delight for my- 
self, or dearest friend, than I did now for mv enemies. 

"March 3, 1744. 

"In the morning, spent (I believe) an hour in 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 159 

prayer, with great intenseness and freedom, and with 
the most soft and tender affection towards mankind. 
I longed that those who, I have reason to think, bear 
me ill will, might be eternally happy. It seemed re- 
freshing to think of meeting them in heaven, how much 
soever they had injured me on earth. I had no dispo- 
sition to insist upon any confession from them, in or- 
der to reconciliation and the exercise of love and kind- 
ness to them. Oh, it is an emblem of heaven itself, to 
love all the world with a love of kindness, forgiveness, 
and benevolence; to feel our souls sedate, mild and 
meek, to be void of all evil surmisings and suspicions, 
and scarce able to think evil of any man upon any 
occasion; to find our hearts simple, open, and free, to 
those that look upon me with a different eye ! Prayer 
was so sweet an exercise to me, that I knew not how to 
cease, lest I should lose the spirit of prayer. Felt no 
disposition to eat or drink, for the sake of the pleasure 
of it, but only to support my body, and fit me for di- 
vine service. Could not be content without a very par- 
ticular mention of a great number of dear friends at 
the throne of grace; as also the particular circum- 
stances of many, so far as they were known. 

"July 24, 1744. 

"Rode about seventeen miles westward, over a hid- 
eous mountain, to a number of Indians. Got together 
near thirty of them; preached to them in the evening 
and lodged among them. Was weak, and felt in some 
degree disconsolate; yet could have no freedom in the 
thought of any other circumstances or other business 



160 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

in life. All my desire was the conversion of the 
heathen; and all hope was in God. God does not suf- 
fer me to please or comfort myself with hopes of seeing 
friends, returning to dear acquaintances, and enjoying 
worldly comforts. 

"November 22, 1744. 

"Came on my way from Rockciticus to the Dela- 
ware. Was very much disordered with a cold and pain 
in my head. About six at night, I lost my way in the 
wilderness, and wandered over rocks and mountains, 
down hideous steeps, through swamps, and most dread- 
ful and dangerous places, and, the night being dark, so 
that few stars could be seen, I was greatly exposed. I 
was much pinched with cold, and distressed with an 
extreme pain in my head, attended with sickness at 
my stomach; so that every step I took was distressing 
to me. I had little hope for several hours together, 
but that I must lie out in the woods all night, in this 
distressed case. But about nine o'clock, I found a 
house, through the abundant goodness of God, and was 
kindly entertained. Thus I have frequently been ex- 
posed, and sometimes lain out the whole night; but God 
has hitherto preserved me, and blessed be His name. 
Such fatigues and hardships as these serve to wean 
me from the earth ; and, I trust, will make heaven the 
sweeter. Formerly, when I was thus exposed to cold 
and rain, I was ready to please myself with the 
thoughts of enjoying a comfortable house, a warm 
fire, and other outward comforts; but now these have 
less place in my heart, (through the grace of God), 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 161 

and my eye is more to God for comfort. In this world 
I expect tribulation ; and it does not now, as formerly, 
appear strange to me. I do not in such seasons of dif- 
ficulty flatter myself that it will be better hereafter; 
but rather think how much worse it might be; how 
much greater trials others of God's children have en- 
dured, and how much greater are yet, perhaps, re* 
served for me. 

"October 5, 1746. 

"After sermon, baptized two persons. Administered 
the Lord's supper to the Indians, besides divers dear 
Christians of the white people. It seemed to be a sea- 
son of divine power and grace ; and numbers seemed to 
rejoice in God. Oh, the sweet union and harmony 
then appearing among the religious people ! My soul 
was refreshed, and my religious friends, of the white 
people, with me. After the sacrament, could scarcely 
get home, though it was not more than twenty rods; 
but was supported and led by my friends, and laid on 
my bed ; where I lay in pain till some time in the even* 
ing; and then was able to sit up and discourse with 
friends. Oh, how was this day spent in prayers and 
praises among my dear people ! One might hear them> 
all the morning before public worship, and in the 
evening, till near midnight, praying and singing 
praises to God, in one or other of their houses. My 
soul was refreshed, though my body was weak." 

Just before his death he wrote a letter to his brother 
Israel, who was then in college. A part of this letter 
we give as follows: 



162 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

"It is on the verge of Eternity I now address you, 
I am heartily sorry that I have so little strength to 
write what I long so much to communicate to you. 
But, let me tell you, my brother, Eternity is another 
thing than we ordinarily take it to be when in a health- 
ful state. Oh, how fixed and unalterable ! Oh, of what 
infinite importance it is, that we be prepared for Eter- 
nity! I have been just a dying, now for more than a 
week; and all around me have thought me so. I have 
had clear views of Eternity, have seen the blessedness 
of the godly, in some measure, and have longed to share 
their happy state, as well as been comfortably satisfied, 
that through grace I shall do so ; but oh, what anguish 
is raised in my mind, to think of Eternity for those 
who are Christless, for those who are mistaken, and 
who bring their false hopes to the grave with them! 
The sight was so dreadful, I could by no means bear it. 
My thoughts recoiled, and I said, under a more af- 
fecting sense than ever before, 'Who can dwell with 
everlasting burnings!' Oh, methought, could I now 
see my friends, that I may warn them to see it, that 
they lay their foundation for Eternity sure. * * * If you 
have reason to think you are graceless, O give yourself 
and the throne of grace no rest, till God arise and save ! 
But if the case should be otherwise, bless God for His 
grace, and press after holiness. 

"My soul longs, that you should be fitted for, and 
in due time go into the work of the ministry. I can- 
not bear to think of your going into any other business 
in life. Do not be discouraged, because you see your 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 163 

elder brothers in the ministry die early, one after an- 
other. I declare, now I am dying, I would not have 
spent my life otherwise for the whole world. 

"O my dear brother, flee fleshly lusts, and the en- 
chanting amusements as well as the corrupt doctrines 
of the present day, and strive to live to God. Take 
this as the last line from your affectionate and dying 
brother." 

About a year and six months before this faithful, 
self-sacrificing servant of God passed to his reward, he 
wrote in his diary something which most beautifully 
sets forth the thought we are trying to bring out in the 
illustration of the living sacrifice life of the missionary. 

Under date of May 22, 1746, he wrote : 

"If ever my soul presented itself to God for His 
service, without any reserve of any kind, it did so 
now. The language of my thoughts and disposition 
now was, 'Here I am, Lord, send me. Send me to the 
ends of the earth. Send me to the rough, savage Pa- 
gans of the wilderness. Send me from all that is called 
comfort in earth, or earthly comfort. Send me even 
to death itself, if it be but in Thy service, and to pro- 
mote Thy kingdom.' At the same time I had as quick 
and lively a sense of the value of worldly comforts as 
I ever had; but only saw them infinitely overmatched 
by the worth of Christ's kingdom, and the propaga- 
tion of His blessed gospel. A quiet settlement, a cer- 
tain place of abode, the tender friendships of life, ap- 
peared as valuable to me, considered absolutely and in 
themselves, as ever before ; but considered comparative- 



164 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

ly, they appeared nothing. Compared with the value 
and preciousness of an enlargement of Christ's king- 
dom, they vanished as stars before a rising sun. Sure I 
am that though the comfortable accommodations of life 
appeared valuable and clear to me, yet I did surrender 
and resign myself, soul and body, to the service of 
God, and to the promotion of Christ's kingdom, though 
it should be in the loss of them all. I could not do any 
other, because I could not will or choose any other. I 
was constrained, and yet choose, to say, 'Farewell, 
friends and earthly comforts, the dearest of them all, 
the very dearest, if the Lord calls for it. Adieu, adieu ; 
I will spend my life to my latest moments, in the caves 
and dens of the earth, if the kingdom of Christ may 
thereby be advanced.' 

"I felt extraordinary freedom at this time in pour- 
ing out my soul to God for His cause, especially that 
His kingdom might be extended among the Indians, 
far remote; and I had a great and strong hope that 
God would do it. I continued wrestling with God in 
prayer for my dear little flock here, and more especially 
for the Indians elsewhere, as well as for dear friends in 
one place and another until it was bed time, and I 
feared I should hinder the family. But oh, with what 
reluctancy did I feel myself obliged to consume time 
in sleep!, I longed to be a flame of fire, continually 
glowing in the divine service, and building up Christ's 
kingdom, to my latest, my dying moment." 

And God granted him his desire to his dying mo- 
ment. David Brainard was truly a living sacrifice as 



PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 165 

a missionary to the pagan Indians, and won many of 
them to Christ, where he is rejoicing with them in glory 
today. 

IV. DIFFERENCE IN SIZE AND FORM 

Here we find some very noted peculiarities. There 
are so many shapes and sizes in the various depart- 
ments of the palm tree world that one is lost in won- 
der. Here is one gigantic tree two hundred feet high, 
while another is only a few feet in height and both 
real palms. Some leaves attain the enormous propor- 
tions of thirty-five feet in length by five or six feet in 
breadth, while on other varieties the leaves are only 
a few inches in length. Some palms have no flowers 
at all, while another known as the Talipot palm throws 
up a branching inflorescence to a height of thirty feet 
above the foliage, and it has been estimated that such 
an inflorescence has included as many as sixty mil- 
lions of flowers. 

When we see such differences in size and propen- 
sities, we are reminded of the vast differences in the 
Christian world. Some saints loom up indeed like the 
giants of the forest, while others are more like house 
plants. Some are so full of stupendous works for God's 
kingdom, and are accomplishing such Herculean tasks, 
while others seem to be more adapted for the mantle- 
piece, or things to look at. We find the same differences 
obtaining on other lines. In the physical world is a 
Samson who can carry off the gates of Gaza, while 
here is another who can scarcely carry himself. In 



166 THE PALM TREE BLESSING 

the intellectual world there are men who can walk 
through the heavens as we would stroll through a town ; 
they weigh the planets in their scales, and tell the com- 
position of stars and their distances; while others are 
still wondering if this world is not flat. In the finan- 
cial realm we find a man who can lug whole railroad 
systems, or trans-atlantic steamers on his shoulders, 
or thousands of tanks of Standard oil. On the other 
hand we see some who would starve to death if they 
were left to themselves. We know of one man who had 
been trying for years to save up enough money on 
which to get divorced. We would not be too hard on 
those, who, in the spiritual realm, are not able to walk 
off with mountains on their shoulders ; they may not be 
endowed with any special gifts, and yet they may be 
the Lord's weak children. 

We would not sit in judgment on any of God's 
children. Christ came to save all who will put their 
trust in Him, and if one is naturally endowed with 
great and peculiar talents, so much the more responsi- 
bility rests upon him; but if one does not possess the 
extraordinary, he may be a trustful follower of the 
Lamb after all. And yet we have known of some who 
certainly did not seem possessed with anything above 
the ordinary, yet because of their fidelity to Christ and 
their abandonment to the Holy Ghost, were really 
blessed in usefulness beyond the ordinary. There is no 
telling what the Lord will do with the weak ones if 
they will only let Him put over against them His 
strength. So, as in the palm tree realm, there is such a 



PALM TBEE PECULIARITIES 167 

variety in size and form, so in the Christian world we 
have the babe and the man, the weak and the strong, 
the tiny, trusting heart who is scarcely known around 
the corner, and the giant of God who wields his in- 
fluence throughout the nation. So, whether we are 
little or big, weak or strong, if we have the assurance 
that we belong to God's kingdom, let us look up and re- 
joice evermore. We may be tempted to discouragement 
when we see the stupendous accomplishments of some 
of the palm tree saints, but we must remember that God 
requires from us only that which we are able to per- 
form. So while we may not do what some others do, 
yet we can all, without an exception, measure up in our 
individual sphere and prove that the Word of God is 
true, that "The righteous shall flourish like the palm 
tree." 

Eeader, in closing this little message to you, let me 
entreat you, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to introspect 
your heart and life and see if you possess a spiritual 
life which would warrant you in believing that you are 
flourishing like the palm tree. Amen! 



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